Wolves made it two wins from two under new boss Vitor Pereira, as Bruno Fernandes saw red for Manchester United at Molineux.
Manchester United suffered their fourth Premier League defeat in the space of five games as Bruno Fernandes was sent off in a 2-0 defeat to resurgent Wolves.
Fernandes received his marching orders early in the second half at a misty Molineux, where Matheus Cunha bent in directly from a corner just before the hour to break the deadlock.
United's captain lunged in on Nelson Semedo on the edge of Wolves' area, with referee Tony Harrington having little choice but to show Fernandes a second yellow card.
Jorgen Strand Larsen had a goal disallowed for offside shortly after, but Cunha's moment of magic in the 58th minute put Wolves deservedly ahead.
With United having failed to create more than two half-chances, spurned by Alejandro Garnacho and Harry Maguire respectively, Cunha teed up Hwang Hee-chan to make sure of the points deep in stoppage time, as Vitor Pereira made it two wins from two as Wolves boss since replacing Gary O'Neil.
While Wolves moved – at least temporarily – out of the bottom three, Ruben Amorim must find a way to get United back on track after a dismal run in which their only win has come against out-of-form Manchester City.
Data Debrief: Boxing Day blues
Amorim is the first United boss to lose as many as five of his first 10 games in charge of the club in all competitions since Walter Crickmer in January 1932 (6/10), while their four top-flight defeats under the former Sporting CP coach is as many defeats as they had suffered in their previous 15 matches in the competition (W7 D4).
United's head coach, who now has to prepare for daunting meetings against Newcastle United and Liverpool, will no doubt point to the dismissal of Fernandes as the turning point. He is the first United player to be sent off three times in a season in all competitions since Nemanja Vidic in the 2008-09 season.
Wolves, meanwhile, are in a winter wonderland under Pereira, who has become the club's first boss since Sammy Chung in August 1977 to win his first two top-flight matches at the helm, while he is only the second Portuguese manager to win his first two games in charge in the Premier League after Jose Mourinho.