Wolves 0-3 Man City: Erling Haaland brilliant again as Manchester City cruise to win at 10-man Wolverhampton Wanderers
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Updated 17/09/2022 at 14:10 GMT
Manchester City were at their dominant best but Wolverhampton Wanderers made it easy for the Premier League champions. Jack Grealish needed just a minute to score the opener, before an exceptional strike from Erling Haaland made it two. Nathan Collins' first-half red card ended the game as a contest before Phil Foden scored midway through the second period to seal the victory.
Jack Grealish
Image credit: Getty Images
Manchester City went top of the Premier League with a comfortable 3-0 win over 10-man Wolves.
City opened the scoring after less than a minute, when Jack Grealish turned in Kevin De Bruyne’s cross.
The champions had not lost any of their last 33 Premier League matches after taking the lead, and they never looked like doing so against Wolves.
Erling Haaland doubled City’s lead 15 minutes later, driving at the retreating Wolves backline with the ball at his feet. The Norwegian turned the defence inside out, before unleashing a low shot that beat Jose Sa into the bottom corner.
It was Haaland's 11th goal in seven Premier League appearances.
With City already in control, Nathan Collins had a moment of madness. The young Ireland defender caught Grealish in the hip with a high, studs-up tackle.
Referee Anthony Taylor showed Collins a deserved red card and Wolves were reduced to 10 in the 33rd minute.
Wolves improved in the second half, creating far more chances with 10 than they had with 11, but it wasn’t enough to turn the game around.
City were being outplayed for a good spell, but snapped back into life to make it 3-0 in the 69th minute.
Haaland received the ball on the right edge of the box and flicked it into the path of De Bruyne. The Belgian squared to Phil Foden, who delicately placed his shot just out of range of Sa.
City move two points ahead of Arsenal, who play tomorrow afternoon against Brentford.
Meanwhile Wolves slip to 16th, and still have a league-worst three goals scored this season.
Talking point - What is City’s ceiling?
Manchester City are top of the league again. They’ve scored 23 goals in seven games, and they haven’t even played that well.
City have been below their best in many of their matches so far this season. Against Aston Villa, Newcastle, Crystal Palace and even today against Wolves, the champions have not needed to hit their top gear.
Even Erling Haaland, who has a ludicrous goalscoring record, is still finding his feet in the Premier League. With the ball at his feet, Haaland had a tough game against Wolves, and he was routinely boxed out at corners.
Haaland, like City, will be absolutely unstoppable once he hits full speed.
Player of the Match - Joao Cancelo
As ever, City’s victory was the product of numerous impressive performances, but Joao Cancelo shone at both ends of the pitch.
With Jack Grealish given the freedom to move centrally, the left flank was entirely Cancelo’s responsibility.
Only Grealish had more dribbles than Cancelo's five, while no City player had more tackles.
His ability to go inside or outside, left defenders frozen and he took full advantage as he drove City forward again and again.
Player ratings
Wolves: Sa 5, Jonny 7, Collins 2, Kilman 6, Ait-Nouri 7, Neves 5, Nunes 6, Moutinho 6, Guedes 7, Neto 7, Podence 6. Subs: Traore N/A, Hwang 4, Semedo 6, Campbell 6
City: Ederson 6, Stones 4, Dias 6, Akanji 7, Cancelo 8, Rodrigo 7, De Bruyne 7, Bernardo 7, Foden 7, Haaland 7, Grealish 8. Subs: Gundogan 6, Alvarez 6, Gomez N/A, Mahrez 6, Palmer 6
Match highlights
1' GOAL MAN CITY - With less than one minute on the clock, Jack Grealish turns in Kevin De Bruyne's cross from close range.
16' GOAL MAN CITY - Erling Haaland doubles City's lead with a predatory goal. Driving at goal, Haaland turns the Wolves defence inside out before firing low into the bottom.
22' NETO GOES DOWN, NO PENALTY - Akanji knocks Neto off the ball in the box, and the Portuguese goes down appealing for a penalty.
33' COLLINS SENT OFF - Nathan Collins makes a bizarre and unacceptable challenge on Jack Grealish as the pair go for a high ball. Collins' studs go right into Grealish's middle and the referee has no qualms about showing the red card.
69' GOAL MAN CITY - After a quiet spell, City have come back to life in the last few minutes. De Bruyne receives the ball racing down the right channel from a Haaland flick, and squares to Foden.
Key stats
Wolves: 5 - The home side managed just five interceptions today, as Man City played through their lines with ease. Neves had the second-most interceptions in the Premier League before today, and added two more against City, but the team did not defend with the aggression required to stop City.
The visitors' first and third goals were perfect examples, as City took the risk of passing through the lines to get De Bruyne in space. Wolves did not, or could not, do anything about it.
Man City: 150 - His two assists today brought Kevin De Bruyne's total involvement in goals for Manchester City in the Premier League to 150 in 217 appearances. The Belgian had a quiet game by his standards but still provided two inch-perfect crosses after vintage De Bruyne darts into the channel. When he is fit and in form as he is right now, City can't lose.
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