The moments you may have missed as Manchester City took on Wolves in the Premier League.
Manchester City beat Wolves on Friday night to take another step towards Champions League qualification and put pressure on their top five rivals.
City needed just one goal from Kevin De Bruyne on his penultimate Etihad Stadium outing, as the Belgian calmly side-footed a Jeremy Doku cutback in the first half. City did enough to see out the win despite Wolves hitting the post either side of half-time.
The result ensures City will stay in the top five ahead of their trip to bottom side Southampton next weekend, putting them closer to a return to Europe’s top competition.
These are the moments you may have missed from City’s clash with Wolves:
Haaland’s not-so-warm hot ups
Erling Haaland’s return to the matchday squad after a month out was the headline news but he didn’t get involved much in the pre-match warm ups in an early indicator that he wasn’t expecting much of a run-out. In fact, he kicked a ball just twice in anger when chipping a couple of shots towards the crossbar before wandering off.
He spent most of his allotted warm-up time either back in the dressing room or chatting to compatriot Jorgen Strand Larsen, not in the Wolves squad on the night. Haaland spoke to Jack Grealish, and then to assistant coach Juanma Lillo before his crossbar challenge attempts and a walk back off the pitch with Scott Carson.
When Omar Marmoush went down in the second half with a knock, Haaland stayed wrapped up on the bench and James McAtee was told to warm-up instead. Shortly after Haaland did emerge to huge applause, hugging Wolves striker Hwang Hee-chan – a former teammate at Salzburg. Again, there was more chatting than moving and he remained an unused substitute – but it is positive to see Haaland ready to contribute and there are now eight days to prepare for the trip to Southampton.
By Bruyne and Dias Fume at Bernardo
Early on, De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva were stood over a free kick out wide on the right. It was primed for De Bruyne to swing that right foot at it, but Bernardo took charge and instead sent a harmless ball to the first man. Luckily, it was Omar Marmoush but the Egyptian could only flick it over his head and into the grateful arms of Jose Sa. Chance wasted.
-Ruben Dias wanted it on his head and let his teammate know how he felt as he ran back to his position. De Bruyne also had words for Bernardo who didn’t have an answer. If he looked back towards the bench, he would have seen Pep Guardiola turn away in frustration at a wasted opportunity.
Guardiola wasn’t just unhappy at Bernardo, he threw his hands up when Ederson chipped a ball out of play towards the end to give Wolves momentum.
However, another moment saw Josko Gvardiol do brilliantly to win a free kick in the dying stages, earning on-pitch applause from Bernardo, Dias and Mateo Kovacic as well as Guardiola a few metres away. It showed the team maintain high standards with each other while also acknowledging when those standards are met.
Guardiola had written in the programme that he could feel his players are ready for the Champions League fight, adding they are showing focus and determination. He called for discipline ‘but also personality’, echoing this week’s training ground guest Neil Warnock – who would have been proud at how the City players enjoyed themselves while maintaining that discipline until the final whistle.
De Bruyne takes in every moment
Every time De Bruyne took a corner, the fans closest rose and sang his name, so when he converted a cutback from the byline that will have felt like second nature, the entire stadium joined in on the act. It was a popular goal on his penultimate game at the Etihad, with his name ringing around the stadium long after he scored.
Guardiola says he wants De Bruyne to take in these moments home and away and for the first time it felt like the Belgian actually was. Not content with a goal, he raced back at the end of the first half to bulldoze over a Wolves midfielder to stop a break and moments later he caught another Wolves man unawares by from behind to win a throw-in. That was cheered like a goal and this was a performance full of a player trying to get as much out of his last moments at City as possible.
De Bruyne’s number was up with seven minutes remaining, sparking another chance for the Etihad crowd to serenade their hero. This time he walked a little slower and while he still seemed a bit reluctant to take the applause he didn’t race off.
The City PA played Seven Nation Army at full-time to encourage another round of De Bruyne’s chant, and it was still going as the player completed a lap of honour and head to the dressing room. The next time he steps onto this pitch will be his last as a City player.
