Through the fog of Molineux and the funk of a desperate first half of the season, Manchester United sank to a new level at the hands of a resurgent Wolves.
A fourth defeat in five Premier League games (and fifth in seven in all competitions) saw United finish Boxing Day in 14th position in the table, just four places above the relegation zone.
It's a remarkable setup for a team built at enormous cost under Erik ten Hag that actually appears to be regressing under his successor Ruben Amorim.
The decisive goal came from outstanding player of the match, Matheus Cunha, a man who is showing the kind of style and freedom that United are sorely lacking at the moment.
His second-half corner went straight past goalkeeper Andre Onana as United's set-piece nightmare continued to haunt them.
It was Cunha's seventh goal in his last 10 league games and he added a fourth assist in added time when he set up substitute Hwang Hee-chan to add to United's misery.
Rubén Amorim's team suffered its third consecutive defeat after losing 2-0 against Wolves
Matheus Cunha's first goal beat André Onana directly from the corner flag and the Manchester United goalkeeper could not prevent it.
Hwang Hee-chan completed a memorable result for the hosts in the 99th minute to make it 2-0.
It was enough to lift Wolves out of the danger zone in Vitor Pereira's first home game in charge and give the new boss back-to-back victories. That is the kind of bounce United were hoping Amorim would give them, but any momentum built up under the former Sporting Lisbon boss has now been exhausted.
The 58th-minute goal came shortly after United were reduced to 10 men when captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off for the third time this season shortly after half-time.
Fernandes has already seen red cards against Tottenham and FC Porto, although Spurs' sending off was later overturned, and he walked again when he received a second booking for a late challenge on Nelson Semedo.
Amorim once again left Marcus Rashford out of the United squad for the fourth consecutive game, after confirming on the eve of this game that the unstable star wants to return to action.
Alejandro Garnacho, who was absent for the Manchester derby along with Rashford, was on the bench for a third match, suggesting that he has not fully redeemed himself either.
The fact that Amorim has only made two changes from the team beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth on Sunday hints that he is getting closer to his best line-up, or perhaps his least bad team.
Rasmus Hojlund replaced Joshua Zirkzee up front and Leny Yoro replaced Tyrell Malacia with Noussair Mazraoui switching to right back and Diogo Dalot on the left.
It wasn't much of an improvement for United in the first half against a Wolves team that overshadowed the contest. Cunha was the best player on the pitch and showed an outrageous ability to deceive United at times.
A very misty Molineux saw United sink to a whole new level against a resurgent Wolves.
It was Cunha's seventh goal in the last 10 league games and he added his fourth assist in added time
This brought an early booking for Yoro and another for Fernandes, who brought down the Brazilian after a beautiful spin and run.
From the free kick, Cunha attempted to catch Onana with a cheeky shot inside the near post, which paid off given United's poor record from set pieces. They had conceded no less than 17 this calendar year before the game, a club record.
Onana also deflected Jorgen Strand Larsen's header from a Semedo cross, while Gonçalo Guedes fired from distance and Semedo lifted the crowd from their seats with a long-range shot just before the break.
United are certainly pulling out all the stops for Amorim, and none more so than Amad Diallo, who worked tirelessly and supported bravely. But the team is lacking quality at the moment and rarely looked like they could open up Wolves before the break.
Dalot saw a shot deflected by José Sa and another deflected wide, while Sa comfortably saved a header from Lisandro Martínez.
United could not have had a worse start to the second half when Fernandes received a second booking two minutes into the restart.
The United captain really should have known better when he overran the ball and stretched out to try and retrieve it, catching Semedo mid-shin. It really left referee Tony Harrington with no choice and the red card came out despite Fernandes' protests.
It almost got even worse for United moments later when Semedo whipped in a cross from the right and Larsen headed a header into the back of the net, but an offside flag was immediately raised and VAR confirmed the Norwegian striker was a goal away. couple of meters. offside.
The respite did not last long as the hosts took a deserved lead in the 58th minute. United conceded a corner and Wolves attempted to make the most of their set-piece nerves by placing Matt Doherty and Santiago Bueno on either side of Onana on the line.
It worked when Cunha stepped over a delivery from the left and Onana was in the sea when it went over his head and into the net. Once again, United's protests that they had been prevented were in vain.
It was Onana's third error this month after he was beaten by a tame Morgan Gibbs-White shot against Nottingham Forest and punished for a poor pass against Viktoria Plzen in Europe.
Amorim responded immediately by sending Casemiro, Antony and Christian Eriksen for Kobbie Mainoo, Yoro and Manuel Ugarte, followed by Garnacho and Zirkzee for Diallo and Hojlund.
But they failed to provide the spark it needed and Wolves secured victory eight minutes into added time when they went ahead with Martinez alone against Cunha and Hee Chan Hwang.
The Brazilian squared the ball for the substitute to bury it against Onana with just the last shot of the game.
Molineux blew up and United must somehow bounce back at Old Trafford on Monday night against a Newcastle team who have won their last four games, scoring 14 goals in the process.