Ten Hag breathed a sigh of relief because Man Utd escaped the penalty
In the sixth minute, when they were leading 0-1, Wolves got on the right wing and there were four visitors in the penalty area. The ball is hung towards the positions of Craig Dawson and Sasa Kalajdzic. The ball hit Dawson's head, and Onana missed and collided with Kalajdzic.
After the game, Ten Hag said that Onana collided with Kalajdzic after Dawson touched the ball, so it did not affect Wolves' attacking situation. But the Dutch coach admitted that the final decision belonged to the referee Michael Salisbury, and Man Utd was lucky to escape the penalty. "We can argue, but I don't think there is a penalty," he insisted.
The referee gave a yellow card after coach O'Neil loudly reacted because VAR did not intervene when Onana collided with Kalajdzic. Photo: EPA
Meanwhile, Onana insisted that he was not worried about the possibility of Man Utd being punished for this situation. "I'm not worried because I have to make decisions. You can make the right choice and sometimes not, and in the end you learn from your mistakes," the Cameroon goalkeeper told MUTV. "I trust the referees, what they are doing is not easy, especially with VAR. So I'm calm, knowing it was just a collision in the box."
Onana had a difficult Premier League debut, when Wolves finished 23 times and had an expected goal index (xG) up to 2.14, higher than Man Utd (1.49). In the second half alone, he had six saves. The 27-year-old goalkeeper was pleased with his debut, saying that the whole team showed personality and most importantly kept a clean sheet, and won three points to get off to a perfect start. "We are Man Utd and want to win every trophy," he insisted.
Similarly, Ten Hag said that Wolves played fiercely, but was pleased when Man Utd fought, showed a desire to win and found a way to take three points in a difficult game. The 53-year-old coach pointed out some points that Man Utd did not do well, including many times to lose the ball easily, create opportunities for opponents to counterattack and not control the ball well.
When asked about the reminders during the break, Ten Hag said: "Be calmer, calmer, more transitional. We have many such moments and that create dangerous opportunities. But when you lose the ball too easily, you lose control of the game."
On the opposite side, coach Gary O'Neil said that Wolves lost the penalty "blatantly" and was satisfied when the whole team played well despite having only four days of working together. O'Neil was appointed after Wolves parted ways with coach Julen Lopetegui on August 8, because of a disagreement over transfer policy.
"Ultimately, we can't just focus on that controversial penalty kick," O'Neil said. "Going to Old Trafford, having the most shots of any club and being dominant after just four days of training is phenomenal. Wolves deserved more today."
In the second round of the Premier League, Man Utd was a guest at Tottenham, while Wolves returned home to Brighton.
