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Three decisions Erik ten Hag got absolutely spot on in Man Utd win v Wolves

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Matches against Wolves are usually tough, but rarely as entertaining as Manchester United’s dramatic win last night.

Manchester United came out on top against Wolves in a dramatic game at Molineux, with Kobbie Mainoo scoring an injury time winner.

This was a relief more than anything, with Manchester United dominant. It would have been a travesty if Wolves had walked away with a point.

Nobody would have been more annoyed than manager Erik ten Hag, who had coached a near-perfect game with smart decisions.

Here is a look at three decisions the boss got absolutely spot on…

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United - Premier League
Photo by Alex Livesey – Danehouse/Getty Images

Starting Marcus Rashford

Marcus Rashford has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, missing the recent game with Newport County.

With Antony scoring against Newport, it had looked like Rashford might have to settle for a place on the bench, like the previous year away at Wolves, when he was an impact substitute.

Erik ten Hag had other ideas, selecting Rashford as a starter, and he made an immediate impact, scoring after just four minutes.

Rashford linked up with Rasmus Hojlund well, getting the assist from the Dane, with their partnership blossoming in a very encouraging way lately.

This was a great call from Ten Hag, setting United on the way to victory, even though it wasn’t simple.

Casemiro off and McTominay on

Casemiro was booked as early as the second minute, setting himself up for a difficult game. In the second half he was wronged after an awful refereeing call saw a penalty awarded against him.

Soon after, Ten Hag made the call to take a tiring Casemiro off, and bring Scott McTominay on. It paid off.

McTominay scored just 90 seconds after coming on, to put Manchester United 3-1 up.

United hoped that would be the end of the game. Far from it. McTominay should have scored another late on. But he made a vital contribution to the victory, and made his manager look very smart.

Sticking by Kobbie Mainoo

Erik ten Hag could quite easily have decided to rest Kobbie Mainoo for this game and save the teenager for the match four days later against West Ham. Thankfully he didn’t – and hopefully Mainoo will start both.

Ten Hag made five substitutions, including one in midfield, sticking by Mainoo, viewing him as vital for the team’s chances of controlling the game.

He was rewarded for his faith in the wonderkid, who popped up with an incredible individual goal in injury time to win the game for Manchester United.