Man Utd ratings and analysis vs Wolves: Time to see what Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is made of after reality check

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Now let's see what Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is really made of.

Manchester United's interim manager has two weeks to mull over the most testing period of his short reign – and must come up with the answers to prevent the season going into free fall.

If that sounds dramatic after a 2-1 defeat to Wolves then consider the picture Solskjaer may be confronted with on Sunday evening.

Seven days ago United were into the quarter-finals of the Champions League and the FA Cup, while sitting fourth in the Premier League with ambitions of moving level on points with third-placed Tottenham.

In the space of a week the landscape has completely changed.

Player ratings

How did Utd rate vs Wolves?

Romero 7

Dalot 5

Smalling 6

Lindelof 5

Shaw 6

Herrera 4

Matic 4

Pogba 4

Lingard 4

Rashford 5

Subs

 

Martial 4

 

Pereira 4

Mata N/A

McTominay N/A

If Chelsea beat Everton on Sunday, United will drop to sixth – the position they were in when Jose Mourinho was sacked in December.

Defeat to Wolves has sent them spinning out of the Cup, while few would give them any real hope of overcoming Barcelona in the last eight of the Champions League.

While that won't be enough to undo Solskjaer's remarkable workso far as caretaker, it does administer a sharp dose of reality.

Sitting just two points off the top four, Champions League qualification is still very much in United's sights – and that was Solskjaer's priority when he walked through the door after that chastening defeat to Liverpool.

But such has been the wave of optimism that's spread through Old Trafford during a heady three months that United supporters began believe they were on the cusp of something special.

It is now down to Solskjaer to prove he can arrest this March slump.

Defeat to Arsenal last week could be brushed off as a step too far coming so soon after the drama of victory against Paris Saint-Germain just days earlier. But the nature of a second straight loss cannot be so easily swallowed.

Not least because Solskjaer fielded close to his strongest XI at Molineux.

Only David de Gea and the suspended Ashley Young were missing from a starting line-up that is likely to face Barca next month.

Which is why such a low key and flat performance came as such a surprise.

United dominated possession, but created nothing in the way of genuine chances, with Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashord and Jesse Lingard all sloppy with their use of the ball in the final third.

It was Wolves who had the better of the chances either side of half time, with Sergio Romero coming to United's rescue to deny Diogo Jota when one-on-one and then producing a fingertip save to turn Raul Jiminez' powerful header onto the bar.

At the other end United laboured – struggling to operate against a deep-lying back four and covering midfield.

Martial, Rashford and Lingard didn't have the space to run in behind and instead had to rely on intricate passing in and around the box, which so often came to nothing.

In the 70th minute it was Wolves who found the breakthrough and United only had themselves to blame.

Joao Moutinho was allowed to dance into the 18-yard box with red shirts repeatedly failing to clear their lines.

Eventually it bobbled to Jiminez, who struck low and through a crowd of legs, leaving Romero unsighted.

Just six minutes later Wolves doubled their lead – breaking away from a United corner.

Jota evaded the attentions of Luke Shaw and then Victor Lindelof to fire low into the corner and kill off United's hopes.

Rashford's injury time consolation was barely that.

It was too little, too late.

Pogba blows his chance

It was after the 1-1 draw with Wolves at Old Trafford in September that Pogba famously demanded United 'attack, attack, attack.'

It was widely-considered a pointed remark in the direction of Mourinho, who promptly stripped the Frenchman of vice-captaincy duties.

Solskjaer insists Pogba is, indeed, captain material and handed him the armband against Wolves.

Getty Images

But this was one of those games when United's record signing once again flattered to deceive.

On a night when a flat performance desperately needed someone to show leadership, Pogba was too often on the periphery, too wasteful in possession and too much of a passenger.

He wasn't alone – but wearing the armband – it was his chance to prove he has the qualities to take on the role on a permanent basis.

Unlucky Romero

If one man didn't deserve to be on the losing side, it was Romero.

Once again he proved why he is one of the best back up goalkeepers in the Premier League with two outstanding saves to keep Wolves at bay before they eventually found a breakthrough.

For both goals from Jiminez and Jota, Romero was badly let down by those in front of him.

He deserved so much more.

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