Manchester United climbed into the Champions League places for the first time this season with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Wolves at Molineux.
The Red Devils started the game positively and almost opened the scoring through Alejandro Garnacho after a mistake from Nelson Semedo, but the teenager's low effort was saved by Jose Sa. Then, Antony should've gave United the lead on the stroke of half-time but Sa somehow managed to keep out his header.
Erik ten Hag decided to make one change at the interview with Marcus Rashford coming on after serving his punishment for "disciplinary" issues. And the England international proved to be the matchwinner with a terrific solo effort in the 76th minute, jinking inside before slotting the ball into the back of the net.
Here are five talking points from Molineux.
United into fourth
After a disastrous start to the season, United have seemed to turn it around since back-to-back defeats at the beginning of the campaign. Ten Hag's side have won 10 of their last 14 Premier League matches and will sit inside the Champions League places heading into the New Year for the first time this term.
Tottenham have occupied a top-four spot almost since the start of the season but have been leapfrogged by an in-form United side ahead of Spurs' clash with Aston Villa on New Year's Day. The Red Devils weren't at their best against Wolves but showed incredible spirit to get over the line and earn yet another clean sheet - their third on the bounce.
Rashford scores winner
Ten Hag confirmed that Rashford was dropped for the game against Wolves due to "internal disciplinary" reasons as Garnacho was handed a chance from the off. The United boss revealed in his pre-match press conference that Rashford wasn't included in the XI because of disciplinary issues following the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
However, Rashford was introduced at half-time and looked sharp from the get-go with his pace and trickery on the ball. But it wasn't until the 76th minute when Rashford continued his scoring streak. The 25-year-old played a one-two with Bruno Fernandes on the edge of the box before driving into the area.
Rashford got a bit of fortune as the ball ricochet straight off Nathan Collins and back to the forward, who took his time before drilling the ball beyond a hapless Jose Sa. It was a clever finish from Rashford, who was being closed down by Toti but showed composure to tuck the ball into the near post, giving the Wolves 'keeper little chance.
Impressive Casemiro
There were question marks raised when United paid £60million, rising to £70m for Casemiro from Real Madrid in August. The midfielder turned 30 last February and arguably doesn't have many years left at the top level given the trajectory of players at a similar level, such as Toni Kroos and Andres Iniesta, with the former set to retire at the end of the season when he will be 33 years of age.
However, Casemiro has defied some of the critics and put in another excellent performance for United at Molineux, especially during the first-half. In the opening 45 minutes, Casemiro completed every tackle successfully, made two ball recoveries and had a 83% pass success rate.
Even though he received a yellow card in the 56th minute for a foul on Daniel Podence, Casemiro could be praised for making a clever foul with the Portugal winger driving at the United back-four. When United went 1-0 up, Casemiro showed all his experience to control the game from midfield, winning fouls and keeping hold of the ball when he needed to.
Costa struggling
Once upon a time, Costa was one of the best strikers in world football, having struck 52 Premier League goals in three seasons for Chelsea, winning the title twice. He was named in the Team of the Year once and received a number of other accolades during his time at Stamford Bridge before he moved out to Atletico Madrid.
But time has caught up on Costa and he doesn't look the same player to the one that shone for Chelsea almost a decade ago, having returned to England with Wolves in September. The 34-year-old, who hasn't found the net in nine matches for Wolves, was taken off at half-time for Adama Traore after struggling in the opening 45 minutes.
Costa looked lost and had just one shot on goal, but even that didn't cause De Gea many issues as he took the ball in the grasp. His replacement, Adama Traore, had much more of an impact as he carried the ball with great speed and intensity - something Costa didn't do.
Antony's emotional Pele tribute
Tributes were paid to Pele before United's clash with Wolves after the Brazil legend sadly passed on Thursday at the age of 82. Several Brazilians were on show at Molineux, and one of them, Antony, paid special tribute to Pele as he displayed a message on his Adidas baselayer shirt underneath the United jersey.
It read: "Rest In Peace Pele." Antony has been capped 15 times for his country,- scoring twice, while Pele's international record cannot be matched in his native Brazil, having netted 77 goals in 92 games. Neymar has the same number of strikes as Pele but reached the record in 32 more matches.
