Wolves manager Mick McCarthy insisted he had no regrets about changing his entire outfield line-up for the 3-0 Premier League loss away to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Tuesday. Wolves supporters vented their fury at their manager, who changed every player, with the exception of goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann, from the side that won impressively at Tottenham at the weekend. They chanted: “What a waste of money, Where is our first team” and “Forty quid to watch the reserves” as Wolves were easily beaten.
But McCarthy, whose team face fellow strugglers Burnley on Sunday, insisted he was obliged to make changes.
“I played the best team available to me tonight; the fittest, best and strongest team I could pick, that hadn’t played on Saturday,” he said. “That was my best team available because they were all fresh legs.”
“I can understand the fans but that is my first team. I’ve got 21 players to pick from and they are all first team players, they are my first team squad,” McCarthy said.
“I would hope they understand that because my decisions will be judged on whether we stay in the Premier League,” he said.
Technically, Wolves could be punished by the Premier League whose regulations insist clubs field their strongest team in every league contest.
However, even though such action is unlikely, Chelsea will doubtless feel aggrieved, as the team selection made by McCarthy helped champions United pull level with the Blues, on points, at the top of the table.
First half goals from Wayne Rooney, his 13th of the season via a penalty, and Nemanja Vidic, ensured that McCarthy was on the receiving end of a wholly predictable outcome. Antonio Valencia’s well-struck third after the interval merely added to the misery of the visiting supporters, who saw their team drop into the bottom three.
United charged at them menacingly when, after just three minutes, Rooney was clean though after a Darron Gibson shot was deflected into his path only for Hahnemann to race out and block.
Soon after Rooney had a chance from only 6m that the US ’keeper did well to block.
The opening goal was coming, and duly arrived, with Rooney’s 30th minute penalty settling any lingering United nerves.
It came from as Gibson corner and a needless handball from Ronald Zubar who flailed at the ball in a crowd of players. That hardly mattered to Rooney who calmly strode up and blasted home. The contest was over before the interval when Gibson’s 43rd minute right-wing corner was placed neatly onto the head of Vidic, who powered the ball past a woeful attempted save by Hahneman. Gabriel Obertan came close either side of the interval and United’s target practice produced another goal after 65 minutes.
Paul Scholes chipped a well-weighted ball into the Wolves penalty area for the fast-arriving Valencia who struck an unstoppable shot past the stationary Hahnemann.
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