ROCKING &
Wem-glee for Nuno as Jimenez sets up famous win for golden wonders By Neil Moxley
Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolves side blasted their way into the FA Cup Semi-Finals for the first time in 21 years as the Norwegian experienced his first real hiccup in charge at Manchester United.
Wolves star Raul Jimenez broke the deadlock with 20 minutes to go with a shot on the turn through a cluster of bodies.
And six minutes later Diogo Jota doubled the lead, brushing aside Luke Shaw, before lashing a drive beyond Sergio Romero.
Marcus Rashord pulled one back for the visitors in injury time but it was too little, too late.
The final whistle sparked a wild party in the South Bank – they could barely believe what was unfolding before them as this revitalised club celebrated a trip to Wembley for the semi-final.
They were joined on the sidelines by Nuno and his backroom team who mobbed the club’s boss and jumped up and down in delight at the success of their side’s work.
And it was a thoroughly deserved triumph against United – who looked eerily like the side that Jose Mourinho left behind.
They had posed little threat up front and there had been little doubt, even before the goals were scored, which side wanted it more.
Indeed, the only player who appeared to be covering himself in any sort of glory was stand-in keeper Romero.
The Argentine doesn’t have it easy, waiting for arguably the world’s best goalkeeper to lose his form. All he can hope for, when David de Gea has a rest, is to prove he is worthy of standing in.
Last night, his worth was on show for all to see.
He was given a thorough working over by this hungry pack of Wolves who scented a famous night in the Black Country.
Romero has been favoured in the FA Cup by Solskjaer but he was given far more work to do by his reborn side than he has in the competition so far.
He had to come to his side’s rescue on three occasions as the Red Devils found their QuarterFinal opponents a more difficult nut to crack than either Arsenal or Chelsea in previous rounds.
Romero had already sussed out Jota in the first-half, snuffing out the forward when he was clean through on goal.
Pressure was building at Molineux as the home side forced a string of corners.
The game’s outstanding player, Joao Moutinho, swung over a corner and Jimenez met it cleanly, just eight yards out.
Manchester United’s back-up stopper produced a superb save, tipping the ball over the crossbar.
But as the match entered its final quarter it was Wolves who made the breakthrough. And it was that man Moutinho who played a big part in it. He received the ball on the left flank but dodged inside and out of three tackles, before finding striker Jimenez.
Somehow, with a sea of red shirts around him and nowhere to go, he managed to turn and fire a shot into the bottom corner that Romero could not stop.
If a wet Molineux thought it couldn’t get much better, they were to be mistaken.
Jota found himself through six minutes later as Wolves broke up another attack.
He shrugged off Shaw and managed to hit a shot inside
Romero’s right-hand post.
United were spared any further agony just a few moments later when ref Martin Atkinson showed defender Victor Lindelof a red card.
The centre-half had been late on Jota near the touchline and the crowd were baying for the official to dismiss the Swede.
He obliged but was then forced to review his decision via VAR.
Atkinson reissued a caution when word came back from the studios.
United managed a late consolation after Rashford swiveled in the area before firing past John Ruddy.
But there was no way Wolves were going to let this one slip away.