Manchester City 2-0 Wolves: Pep Guardiola’s team secure their first victory in five Premier League games
Ahead of this game, very few would have been absolutely certain that Manchester City would beat Wolves, the team 20th in the Premier League. That’s how concerning City’s recent form has been. But Pep Guardiola moved decisively this weekend to rest exhausted players and City scored two goals to effectively settle the tie by the break.
Erling Haaland was left out of the starting lineup and so was Phil Foden. In the Norwegian’s place, up stepped Omar Marmoush after his time away representing Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations. The 26-year-old hit a volley with only six minutes played to give City the lead and send them cruising for most of the game. Antoine Semenyo made it two in stoppage time with his third goal in four games for City.
It could have been two much sooner but the referee controversially ruled out a penalty for City, after Marmoush tried to scoop the ball past Yerson Mosquera and it hit the defender’s arm. There was a VAR check and it sent match official Farai Hallam to the monitor but he declared that Mosquera’s arm had been in a natural position, even though it was clearly extended from his body.
All in all, a pleasing day for Guardiola after his side survived late pressure from Wolves to secure their first Premier League win in five games. City started expectedly on the front foot and debutant Marc Guehi tested Jose Sa with a header from a corner kcik, but things were taken up an additional level after Matheus Nunes fired an inch-perfect cross in and Marmoush got ahead of Mosquera to prod home.
City continued to press. Semenyo’s shot was saved by Sa and Rayan Cherki failed to find Tijjani Reijnders. It was a bad start for Wolves but things could have got worse much earlier in the first half, had Marmoush’s fierce drive not crashed off the post and the referee declined to give a penalty for Mosquera’s handball.
But then Semenyo ensured City took a deserved lead into the second half. Bernardo Silva sent a pass into the Ghanaian and he took a brilliant first touch to evade Ladislav Krejci, before firing low into the bottom left corner.
Wolves are all but certain to go down but manager Rob Edwards will appreciate how positive his side became in the second half, going at City and creating chances, even if it didn’t bear fruit.
Still, Guardiola’s team had chances to make it three. Semenyo pinged the bar, before Wolves’ last act featured Mateus Mane charging into the City box and making a dangerous cutback. Nico O’Reilly and Marc Guehi put their bodies on the line to secure the clean sheet, celebrating it like a third goal.
