Manchester United ended 2025 to a chorus of boos at Old Trafford after being held to a 1-1 draw by rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers, who finally snapped an 11-match Premier League losing streak and earned Rob Edwards his first point in charge.
Joshua Zirkzee's deflected first-half strike appeared to have set Ruben Amorim's depleted side on course for a routine home win that would have lifted them into the top four, but Ladislav Krejci's header on the stroke of half-time rewarded an organised Wolves display and left United stuck in sixth place, their familiar flaws laid bare once again.
United, missing eight senior players including Bruno Fernandes, Bryan Mbeumo and Mason Mount, dominated the ball for long spells but lacked any real creativity or fluency in attack. Wolves, themselves shorn of several regulars, rode out periods of pressure, created the clearest chances after the equaliser and were close to snatching a remarkable first win of the season before Patrick Dorgu's late strike was ruled out for offside.
In the end a share of the points felt like a let-off for United and a small but significant step forward for Wolves, whose travelling support celebrated the club's third point of a traumatic campaign as if it were a victory.