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.
Norwich 0 - 0 Man Utd
18 mins: A cross comes in from the left side and Ronaldo attempts to volley it at goal but completely miscues the effort. He regains possession though and attempts to dribble around Hanely but only manages to knock over the Norwich centre-back who lands awkwardly on his shoulder.
Norwich 0 - 0 Man Utd
15 mins: Jadon Sancho carries the ball down the right channel and gives it to Rashford just inside the box. He’s forced out of the area before getting bungled over by Grant Hanley and winning a fre kick for United.
Close! This is prime Ronaldo range but he’s got Fernandes and Telles stood over the ball too. Fernandes dummies a shot and Telles strikes the free kick. It hits Hanley in the wall and deflects towards goal before striking the crossbar and going out for a corner!
Norwich 0 - 0 Man Utd
12 mins: Norwich have a cluster of men surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo when Dalot swings a corner into the box. The cross goes over eveyone but Bruno Fernandes keeps it alive. He plays it back to Scott McTominay on the edge of the box and his effort at goal is blocked.
Norwich 0 - 0 Man Utd
9 mins: Teemu Pukki latches onto a poor backpass from Alex Telles and drives the ball into the right side of the box. He attempts to pull the ball back into the middle of the box for Josh Sargent but a back-tracking Scott McTominay slides in front of the Norwich man and prods the ball out for a corner.
Norwich 0 - 0 Man Utd
6 mins: Dimitri Giannoulis goes searching for a free kick by dinking the ball around Scott McTominay and running into the Man Utd midfielder who just held his ground. Giannoulis’s efforts aren’t rewarded though as United take possession and come down the left side of the pitch.
Maguire attempts to send the ball over to Diogo Dalot on the right wing but his pass comes up short. Josh Sargent gathers the ball and gets clipped by Dalot who’s lucky to avoid picking up a yellow card.
Norwich 0 - 0 Man Utd
3 mins: Victor Lindelof fires a long ball up the pitch for Jadon Sancho to make a run in behind but Max Aarons gets to the ball first and heads it clear for Norwich.
The Canaries try a similar mode of attack with a long ball up to Teemu Pukki but Harry Maguire is there to deal with it.
Norwich 0 - 0 Man Utd
Kick off: Norwich get the match started with a diagonal ball out to the left wing that gets headed behind for a Manchester United goal kick.
Norwich v Man Utd: Here come the teams
Harry Maguire leads out Manchester United at Carrow Road. The Red Devils can join West Ham on 27 points if they win today. Norwich meanwhile would move off bottom spot if they pick up all three points. It’s a big game for both clubs.
Norwich vs Man Utd
Manchester United are the only club not to have scored in the opening 15 minutes of a Premier League match this season and they are winless in their last four league matches against newly-promoted sides.
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