Featured Image Credit: TNT Sports
Topics: Kobbie Mainoo, Premier League, Manchester United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Football
Ryan Smart
Topics: Kobbie Mainoo, Premier League, Manchester United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Football
Kobbie Mainoo scored a 98th-minute winner to secure a chaotic 4-3 win for Manchester United at Wolves - after the hosts had come from 3-1 down.
It looked like there was going to be heartbreak for Erik ten Hag's side when Pedro Neto completed the comeback for Wolves on 95 minutes, squeezing the ball past Andre Onana via a deflection.
After being in command of the game for large periods, it was set to be another devastating night for United.
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Step up, then, Kobbie Mainoo.
The 18-year-old, one of the few bright lights for United in recent weeks, was the calmest player inside Molineux when he picked up the ball from 30 yards, before gliding into the area, cutting inside and slotting his effort into the bottom corner.
Rescue job complete - and so it proved.
One key element of Mainoo's game is his composure in high pressure situations - and you couldn't really get more high pressure than this.
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In basic terms, the result lifts United from ninth to seventh in the Premier League table, but make no mistake - failing to win at Molineux after taking a 3-1 lead would have been disastrous for Ten Hag and his side.
To make matters even more impressive for Mainoo, it was his first ever Premier League goal.
The assist came courtesy of young forward Omari Forson - in what was the 19-year-old's league debut.
While there have been plenty of questions raised at United this season, the quality of the club's Carrington academy has not been one of them.
Fellow academy graduate Marcus Rashford opened the scoring inside five minutes, before £75 million summer signing Rasmus Hojlund made it 2-0 on 22 minutes.
A second academy graduate in Scott McTominay would later make it 3-1, before Max Kilman and Pedro Neto completed what they thought was the Wolves comeback for Gary O'Neil's side. But Mainoo ensured that wasn't to be.
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Speaking after the game, the 18-year-old explained that it was a 'dream come true' to score for his boyhood club.
United are next in action on Sunday when they take on West Ham at Old Trafford, where Mainoo will hope to continue his strong run of form in the centre of midfield.