Another week, another tango between the Premier League’s top two without a misstep means the title race rolls on. For as long as it continues like this, it will be Manchester City who claim a fourth consecutive league title.
Arsenal may have triumphed after scoring three goals at home to Bournemouth earlier in the day, but a few hours later Pep Guardiola’s team put three past Wolverhampton Wanderers in the first half alone.
City may remain a point behind Mikel Arteta’s table-toppers but possess a game in hand and the knowledge that three more wins will secure them a place in Premier League history.
None of their remaining matches will likely be as easy as this one. The home team did not have to work too hard to open up a hefty first-half margin and, not for the first time, it was Erling Haaland who dished out the damage on Wolves.
City’s Norwegian striker netted a first-half hat-trick — two penalties and a soaring header — to all but end this game as a contest before the interval. Haaland would go on to curl in his 36th goal of the season after Hwang Hee-Chan had struck a consolation for the visitors and substitute Julian Alvarez added a fifth.
Such lavish scoring aided City’s goal difference and took them closer to Arsenal in that regard.
Gary O’Neil, the Wolves manager, was serving a one-match touchline ban following his reaction to a disallowed goal against West Ham Unitedlast month; and from the front row of the directors’ box, he observed little more than a training session.
Story of the game
Former City player David Silva received a warm welcome back to the Etihad Stadium before kick-off as a guest of honour. The Spanish playmaker left Manchester in July 2020 and had not been afforded a proper send-off due to pandemic restrictions, but on his return it was a familiar dominant 90 minutes from City.
It almost feels like City have not lost a league home game since Silva’s departure (for those counting it is seven in four seasons) and the hosts were swiftly into their passing triangles here. Kevin De Bruyne was particularly lively in the final third, causing the Wolves defenders’ hearts to flutter.
One-way traffic eventually led to City going ahead but it was a rather fortuitous breakthrough. Bernardo Silva sent in a cross that Rayan Ait-Nouri half-attempted to clear but Josko Gvardiol got to the ball first and what looked like a 50-50 challenge was given as a penalty by referee Craig Pawson.
Haaland tucked away the spot-kick for his first of the day and from that there was no stopping the City striker. Silva hung another delivery into the Wolves area that Haaland rose to meet but Jose Sa thrust out his left arm to push away his header.
The Wolves ‘keeper could not get near to Haaland’s next header, though. City turned over possession close to their own area. De Bruyne fed Rodri, who crossed to the back post where Haaland produced a magnificent leap to out-jump two Wolves defenders and send a header back across Sa.
The striker’s hat-trick, the second in succession against Wolves at home, was complete in first-half stoppage time when he was sent into the Wolves penalty area and caught from behind by Nelson Semedo.
It looked clumsy defending but took a VAR review for the penalty to be awarded. Haaland’s spot-kick was too powerful for Sa who guessed the right way but was unable to prevent the ball from rippling the back of his net.
Wolves, whose win against Luton Town last weekend was their first in seven games, were never in this game. Hwang’s goal eight minutes into the second half came as a result of Ederson making a hash of Jean-Ricner Bellegarde’s cross. The South Korea international was able to finish at the far post.
Ederson had been a surprise starter given he departed the City Ground last Sunday with his arm in a sling, but was quick to make amends by threading a pass through to Phil Foden to set City’s fourth goal in motion.
Haaland was duly found and everyone knew what was coming. A sharp cut onto his left boot and a curled finish around Sa restored City’s three-goal lead.
Sa had to tip over another Haaland effort and he almost spectacularly dispatched Foden’s delivery. When Guardiola substituted his four-goal forward, a standing ovation was rightly afforded to him. Yet, his replacement carried on Wolves’ punishment.
The visitors did not help themselves by losing the ball again close to goal. This time Rodri sent Alvarez through and he drilled a shot into the far corner to round off the scoring.