Manchester City took a step forward in the race for the Champions League on Friday evening with a win against Wolverhampton. The Wolves were unable to prevent the end of their winning streak.
ManCity coach Pep Guardiola made four changes after the 2-0 FA Cup semi-final win over Nottingham, but the focus before kick-off was on one player in particular who was sitting on the bench: Haaland celebrated his return to the squad after more than two months out with an ankle injury.
While the Citizens had won their last four competitive games, Wolves had gone six games without dropping a point. Compared to the recent 3-0 win over Leicester, coach Vitor Pereira had to replace the injured Strand Larsen with Bellegarde.
Courageous start from Wolves
As the visitors did not hide away and were brave in their approach, the early stages were open and evenly balanced. However, both sides lacked a cutting edge, meaning that there were few chances to speak of.
That was until the 23rd minute, when the Wolves launched an extremely promising counterattack, but failed to finish it off confidently. Bellegarde was through on goal, but missed Munetsi, who was running in unmarked, by centimeters.
Ait Nouri unlucky, De Bruyne clinical
While Ait Nouri was unable to put the visitors ahead with a double chance (27′), the Citizens created their best opportunity of the game six minutes later. Doku set up O’Reilly, whose left-footed shot was tipped over the bar by Jose Sá.
Speaking of Doku, the Belgian was unstoppable on the left edge of the box just 120 seconds later, and this time his work paid off. His compatriot De Bruyne didn’t need to be asked twice, slotting the ball into the bottom corner to give his side a 1-0 lead at the break (35′) in his penultimate home game at the Etihad Stadium.
Matheus Cunha also hits the woodwork
At the start of the second half, both teams continued to show mutual respect, resulting in few chances in front of goal. The first real chance came in the 56th minute, but Matheus Cunha followed Ait Nouri’s example and also hit the post.
Both defenses remained solid, but both offenses lacked creativity and the necessary punch. This explains why the second half was largely uneventful.
City’s next game is on Saturday at 4 p.m. against bottom-of-the-table Southampton, whose relegation is already sealed, as is the case for all three teams in the relegation zone. Wolves host Brighton at the same time.
Haaland will not play
The Citizens ultimately secured their 19th win of the season without Haaland, who did not come on as a substitute. With three matchdays remaining, last year’s champions remain in a promising position in the race for Champions League qualification.