Ruben Amorim said Manchester United had "improved a lot" after they climbed back into the race to qualify for the Uefa Champions League as Bruno Fernandes inspired a 4-1 rout of woeful Wolves on Monday.
Amorim's side recovered from their disappointing draw with lowly West Ham last week thanks to Fernandes' double and goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Mason Mount at Molineux.
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde had cancelled out Fernandes' opener with Wolves' first goal in six games in all competitions and their first in the top-flight since October 26.
But Mbeumo, Mount and Fernandes netted after the interval to clinch only United's second win in their last six matches.
"I really enjoyed how we played the second half. We had good pace, good quality in the decisions. We finished the game and Wolves is in a difficult moment. It was a good evening," Amorim said.
Wolves' eighth successive league defeat equalled their worst top-flight run since 1981/82 and left boss Rob Edwards still waiting for his first victory since arriving from Middlesbrough to replace the sacked Vitor Pereira in November.
Wolves have just two points after 15 games and if they fail to win either of their next two against Arsenal and Brentford they will equal Sheffield United's longest winless start in the Premier League of 17 matches.
Derby's Premier League record low of just 11 points in a single season is also under threat from dismal Wolves.
Man United player ratings
Senne Lammens - 7/10: Struggles to keep a clean sheet, but it’s challenging playing in front of a changeable defence. Wolves' goal, after sloppy defending, came after a period of pressure. He claimed a couple of high balls before the goal.
Ayden Heaven - 6/10: Several misunderstandings with Lammens early on but he settled. Had very little to do in the second half.
Luke Shaw - 8/10: Comfortable against a team who had not scored in their previous five games and hadn’t won in the Premier League since April. Enjoyed the freedom with the ball and taking more risks in the second half.
Noussair Mazraoui - 6/10: Went down after eight minutes with an ankle injury. Got up to make an awkward clearance. First player off after 69 minutes. He’s just come back but United will need to get used to his absence when he is away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Morocco.
Casemiro - 7/10: Harried and nicked the ball, which led to the opening goal. Steady apart from 10 minutes before half-time. Left the pitch to fans singing his name.
Bruno Fernandes - 8/10: Sixth-minute ball to Dalot set his compatriot up on goal. Put United ahead on 25, slipping, spinning and squeezing in a shot. Busied himself and created much at the start of the second half, shooting on target and setting up Mount for the third. Dictated the game in the second half and got the fourth, a perfect penalty on 82.
Diogo Dalot - 7/10: Had a chance to put his side ahead on seven minutes after timing a run perfectly, but shot well saved by Sam Johnstone. Great run to beat the offside trap before he squared a ball for Mbeumo for the second.
Amad Diallo - 7/10: Troubled Wolves in the opening exchanges and pulled the ball back several times into dangerous areas. Wasn’t near his man for the equaliser.
Bryan Mbeumo - 7/10: Should have made it 2-0 soon after the opener. Booked after 37 minutes, scored the second – his seventh of the season – on 61 as United recovered from the end of their first-half shambles.
Matheus Cunha - 7/10: Received a ball from Casemiro and set up Fernandes for the opener. Ironic cheers when he made a mistake, but he played in Dalot to set up the second. Headed on target on 66 and could have had a hat-trick.
Mason Mount - 8/10: Scored again, running in off the left, dancing between gold shirts and timing his run perfectly to side volley the ball in and make it 3-1. Lovely goal. More intelligent runs.
Substitutes
Lisandro Martinez (On for Mazraoui, 68') - 6/10: Went central in a three-man defence. More minutes, which is key.
Leny Yoro (On for Heaven, 68') - 6/10: Went right side of a back three. No twitchy moments tonight, unlike in recent appearances.
Kobbie Mainoo (On for Casemiro, 77') - 6/10: On to a huge cheer from the crows. Neat.
Joshua Zirkzee (On for Mount, 84') - N/A: Fans were singing his name to the tune of Daft Punk’s One More Time. Poor cross during the nine minutes of time added.
Patrick Dorgu (On for Dalot, 84') - N/A.
match info
Athletic Bilbao 1 (Muniain 37')
Atletico Madrid 1 (Costa 39')
Man of the match Iker Muniain (Athletic Bilbao)
RACE RESULTS
1. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1hr 21min 48.527sec
2. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) at 0.658sec
3. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Red Bull) 6.012
4. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 7.430
5. Kimi Räikkönen (FIN/Ferrari) 20.370
6. Romain Grosjean (FRA/Haas) 1:13.160
7. Sergio Pérez (MEX/Force India) 1 lap
8. Esteban Ocon (FRA/Force India) 1 lap
9. Felipe Massa (BRA/Williams) 1 lap
10. Lance Stroll (CAN/Williams) 1 lap
11. Jolyon Palmer (GBR/Renault) 1 lap
12. Stoffel Vandoorne (BEL/McLaren) 1 lap
13. Nico Hülkenberg (GER/Renault) 1 lap
14. Pascal Wehrlein (GER/Sauber) 1 lap
15. Marcus Ericsson (SWE/Sauber) 2 laps
16. Daniil Kvyat (RUS/Toro Rosso) 3 laps
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cp%3EHigh%20fever%20(40%C2%B0C%2F104%C2%B0F)%3Cbr%3ESevere%20headache%3Cbr%3EPain%20behind%20the%20eyes%3Cbr%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3Cbr%3ENausea%3Cbr%3EVomiting%3Cbr%3ESwollen%20glands%3Cbr%3ERash%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Brief scores:
QPR 0
Watford 1
Capoue 45' 1
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWafeq%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJanuary%202019%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENadim%20Alameddine%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%2C%20UAE%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Esoftware%20as%20a%20service%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%243%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERaed%20Ventures%20and%20Wamda%2C%20among%20others%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Company Profile
Founder: Omar Onsi
Launched: 2018
Employees: 35
Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)
Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners
SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday Sassuolo v Torino (Kick-off 10.45pm UAE)
Saturday Atalanta v Sampdoria (5pm),
Genoa v Inter Milan (8pm),
Lazio v Bologna (10.45pm)
Sunday Cagliari v Crotone (3.30pm)
Benevento v Napoli (6pm)
Parma v Spezia (6pm)
Fiorentina v Udinese (9pm)
Juventus v Hellas Verona (11.45pm)
Monday AC Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
More Iraq election coverage:
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Find the right policy for you
Don’t wait until the week you fly to sign up for insurance – get it when you book your trip. Insurance covers you for cancellation and anything else that can go wrong before you leave.
Some insurers, such as World Nomads, allow you to book once you are travelling – but, as Mr Mohammed found out, pre-existing medical conditions are not covered.
Check your credit card before booking insurance to see if you have any travel insurance as a benefit – most UAE banks, such as Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, have cards that throw in insurance as part of their package. But read the fine print – they may only cover emergencies while you’re travelling, not cancellation before a trip.
Pre-existing medical conditions such as a heart condition, diabetes, epilepsy and even asthma may not be included as standard. Again, check the terms, exclusions and limitations of any insurance carefully.
If you want trip cancellation or curtailment, baggage loss or delay covered, you may need a higher-grade plan, says Ambareen Musa of Souqalmal.com. Decide how much coverage you need for emergency medical expenses or personal liability. Premium insurance packages give up to $1 million (Dh3.7m) in each category, Ms Musa adds.
Don’t wait for days to call your insurer if you need to make a claim. You may be required to notify them within 72 hours. Gather together all receipts, emails and reports to prove that you paid for something, that you didn’t use it and that you did not get reimbursed.
Finally, consider optional extras you may need, says Sarah Pickford of Travel Counsellors, such as a winter sports holiday. Also ensure all individuals can travel independently on that cover, she adds. And remember: “Cheap isn’t necessarily best.”
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
