Man City vs Wolves LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction today
Follow all the action live from the Etihad
It was the type of game against mid-table opposition at the Etihad that Manchester City typically make light work of and this victory, earned by the 100th Premier League goal of Raheem Sterling’s career, will keep the defending champions at the top of the table this weekend, no matter what happens elsewhere. City were good value for their win, too, improving considerably in the second half.
Yet that improvement and the three points only came once Wolverhampton Wanderers had been reduced to 10 men by one of the most ridiculous, self-inflicted sendings-off you are likely to see this season for Raul Jimenez, while the winning goal only came from a debatable penalty that summed up an inconsistent, at times unauthoritative display by referee Jonathan Moss.
Overall, this was a forgettable affair, and only Jimenez’s bizarre red card warrants committing to memory. At the end of the first half, after already being cautioned for a questionable foul on Rodri, Jimenez refused to move out of the way for the subsequent free-kick then immediately intercepted it, inviting Moss to show him a second yellow and a red.
Wolves’ game plan up to that point had produced a dour, lifeless first half that was nevertheless frustrating City’s attempts to break them down and ultimately working in their favour. Jimenez’s sending off ripped that blueprint up and City proceeded to rip Wolves apart, eventually taking the lead through Sterling and dominating against 10-man opponents in a manner not reflected by the 1-0 scoreline.
Man City 0 - 0 Wolves
21 mins: Chance! Jesus brings the ball down the left side and tries to get around Kilman. The Wolves defender does well to force him wide but Jesus cuts the ball back into the middle of the pitch. Gundogan slots a pass over to Cancelo who drills a swerving shot from range and forces another decent save out of Jose Sa.
Man City 0 - 0 Wolves
18 mins: Penalty shout! Max Kilman makes an error with a poor pass to Ruben Neves on the edge of his own box. Gabriel Jesus press onto Neves and nicks the ball before carrying it into the area. He looks to shoot and Kilman sprints across to recover the ball. He steps in front of Jesus, wins the ball and Jesus goes down. City want a penalty but there’s not enough contact and play goes on.
Man City 0 - 0 Wolves
15 mins: Cancelo, Bernardo and Sterling are causing big problems for Wolves from City’s right wing. Bernardo collects a pass from Cancelo and then transfers it up to Sterling on the right side of the box. Sterling fires a cross into the area hoping to pick of Jack Grealish but Saiss squeezes in front of him and heads it clear.
Man City 0 - 0 Wolves
12 mins: Joao Cancelo has a cross headed out of the Wolves box and Rodri takes control of the ball over on City’s right wing. Traore chrages him down and shoulders the midfielder off the ball.
Raheem Sterling then attempts to hold off Romain Saiss as City work the ball down the line. There’s a tussle between the two men and Sterling goes to ground but referee Jon Moss lets play go on.
Man City 0 - 0 Wolves
9 mins: Chance! Joao Cancelo threads a fine pass up to Bernardo Silva who’s drifted into the right side of Wolves’ box. He shifts to the left and curls a left-footed effort towards the far top corner but narrowly sends it wide of the post.
Man City 0 - 0 Wolves
6 mins: Joao Cancelo loses possession just inside Wolves’ half and the visitors fly forward on the counter-attack. Raul Jimenez flicks a ball over the top for Adama Traore and he races Aymeric Laporte to the loose ball. Traore picks up the ball and waits for options to arrive in the box. He cuts it back to Ruben Neves who attempts to find Jimenez in the area but City manage to clear.
Man City 0 - 0 Wolves
3 mins: Chance! City work the ball over to the inside right channel were Joao Cancelo drives up the pitch and flicks a nice pass into the box. Raheem Sterling darts in between Conor Coady and Romain Saiss, recovers the ball and prods a soft shot straight at Jose Sa who’s left with an easy save.
Man City 0 - 0 Wolves
Kick off: Both teams take the knee before Wolves get the match started. They work the ball down the left wing but knock it out of play. Manchester City take over and the visitors immediately drop a little deeper.
Man City vs Wolves: Here come the teams
Conor Coady leads out Wolves. The visitors sit eighth in the Premier League but could jump up as high as sixth if they manage to defeat the Premier League champions today.
Ilkay Gundogan leads out Manchester City. If they pick up three points they’ll remain top of the table.
Raul Jimenez good enough to play for Man City, says Bruno Lage
Wolves boss Bruno Lage says he could imagine Raul Jimenez playing for Manchester City and has described the Mexican as “one of the best players in the world”.
Jimenez joined Wolves initially on loan from Benfica in 2018 before making the move permanent a year later.
The 30-year-old has scored 51 goals to date for the midlands outfit, including three this season after returning to action at the start of the campaign following a career-threatening fractured skull suffered in November 2020.
Raul Jimenez good enough to play for Man City, says Bruno Lage
Wolves take on Pep Guardiola’s Premier League champions on Saturday
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments