Manchester City 1-0 Wolves: De Bruyne makes the difference at the Etihad
Manchester City edged Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Friday, with Kevin De Bruyne’s first-half goal proving decisive in a tightly contested Premier League match. With the victory, City move to third place in the league, putting them firmly in control of a top-five finish for Champions League qualification.
Wolves should have been the ones to take the lead, but Jean-Ricner Bellegarde was guilty of poor passing and Ryan Ait-Nouri unlucky to see his attempt hit the post. De Bruyne then broke the deadlock for City in the 35th minute when he calmly slotted home a precise cutback from Jeremy Doku.
The goal marked the Belgian’s 250th direct goal involvement under manager Pep Guardiola, a feat previously achieved only by Lionel Messi. It showed just how central he has been to City’s prolific era under Guardiola, and how much they will miss him after this season.
Wolves came with fury in the second half, creating chances on the break although City had most of the possession. Matheus Cunha, whose potential summer exit to Manchester United has been much discussed, came closest for the away side when he struck the post close to the hour mark. But City managed to hold onto the single goal lead.
Vitor Pereira’s side were missing key man Jorgen Strand Larsen, which perhaps took away a large chunk of their attacking potential. Meanwhile, City welcomed their No 9 Erling Haaland back to the bench after being absent since March due to injury, although he did not feature on the night.
With the win, Guardiola’s side are now third, two points ahead of Newcastle and four ahead of Chelsea in fifth. While both teams have a game in hand City can expect to qualify for the Champions League next season if they win their three remaining games.
