Manchester City needed a controversial 95th-minute winner to beat a stubborn Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 at Molineux on Sunday afternoon.
Josko Gvardiol’s superb strike from outside the box ensured the Cityzens went into half-time level after Jorgen Strand Larsen had put Wolves ahead in the seventh minute.
After a frustrating second half for the Premier League champions, John Stones’ late header earned them all three points despite Wolves believing the goal should have been ruled out for offside.
How the game developed
Few inside Molineux harbored expectations of a positive result ahead of kick-off with the champions, but an early goal from Strand Larsen dramatically altered the mood among the home supporters. A shrewd move punished some apathetic ones Man City defending, with Nelson Semedo’s excellent cross curling home from close range.
The Wolves The lead almost disappeared within a minute of the restart, but an exquisite save from Jose Sa denied compatriot Bernardo Silva an equaliser. The Portuguese threatened to equalize soon after, but his header flew over the crossbar.
Wolves were quick to cause Man City problems with several quick counter-attacks and Semedo had a superb chance to double the home side’s lead. A great move resulted in Matheus Cunha putting the right-back through on goal, but his effort was smothered by the classy Ederson.
The odd forward foray offered Wolves some respite, but Man City’s territorial dominance and individual quality eventually broke the Old Gold’s resistance. It was a wonderful strike from left-back Gvardiol that undid Wolves’ hard work, the Croatian cutting onto his weaker right foot and curling a fine effort into Sa’s top corner.
Man City aggressively chased a second goal before the break and Wolves had Sa to thank at half-time. Savinho’s low shot came through a sea of golden shirts, but the keeper got a strong hand to keep the Brazilian’s effort from finding the bottom corner.
The Premier League champions boasted 79% possession in the first half and the pattern of the game continued after the restart. But for all his dominance, it was another long-range shot from a defender who came closest to putting Man City ahead shortly after the break, with Rubén Dias’ strike that was neither powerful enough nor necessary to overcome Sa.
Wolves still offered a threat when possession turned with Cunha from 20 yards and a misplaced cross from Carlos Forbes almost finding goalscorer Strand Larsen unmarked at the far post with the goal open.
Wolves’ stubborn defensive display looked to have earned them a hard-fought point, but Stones’ injury-time header broke their hearts. The Man City defender rose highest from a corner to score the winner, but the goal was quickly ruled out for offside by the linesman.
Bernardo Silva was in an offside position and was competing with goalkeeper Sa for the ball, with referee Stuart Attwell sent to the monitor to review the shot. The referee then controversially overturned the on-field decision as Man City secured an important win to make the most of Arsenal’s defeat by Bournemouth on Saturday.
GK: Jose Sa – 8/10 – Two superb saves ensured Wolves did not find themselves behind at half-time and the Portuguese made his mark in the absence of the outstanding Sam Johnstone. Bad luck to find yourself on the side of the losers.
RB: Nelson Semedo – 7/10 – A lively start down the right flank ended with a sumptuous delivery into the path of Strand Larsen for the opener. He defended strongly against some speedy ends.
CB: Santiago Bueno – 7/10 – He played his part in the first goal with a composed touch and pass under pressure to set Semedo free. Solid defensively as Wolves switched to a back five.
CB: Craig Dawson -7/10 – He made some crucial interventions from deliveries into the box and helped starve Erling Haaland of any service.
CB: Toti Gomes – 7/10 – Produced an excellent clearance close to his goal line in the first half and stifled Haaland with his physicality.
LB: Rayan Ait-Nouri – 7/10 – Savinho caused him some early problems, but the Algerian grew in confidence. Patient in possession and won a number of singles duels.
CM: Mario Lemina – 6/10 – A ferocious midfield display that got off to a somewhat unconvincing start. He covered a lot of ground and measured himself when he got his foot on the ball.
CM: Other – 6/10 – The Brazilian had traveled to South America as an international during the October break, which was likely the reason for his substitution. Rarely got the ball in the first half but was tenacious out of possession.
CM: Joao Gomes – 6/10 – Fighting throughout and started brightly but ended up giving away too many free kicks in dangerous areas of the pitch.
ST: Jorgen Strand Larsen – 7/10 – He produced a calm finish to put Wolves ahead and add a third Premier League goal to his tally. He did his best with very little service.
ST: Matheus Cunha – 6/10 – Impressed on the rare occasions he got the ball with some powerful bursts in the Man City half.
Substitutes
SUB: Tommy Doyle (46′ for Andre) – 7/10 – The former Man City midfielder played with much-needed composure in midfield following his arrival.
SUB: Carlos Forbes (67′ for Cunha) – 6/10
SUB: Goncalo Guedes (80′ for Guedes) – 6/10
SUB: Jean-Ricner Bellegarde (90′ for J. Gomes) – N/A
Subs not used: Daniel Bentley (GK), Matt Doherty, Peter Lima, Rodrigo Gomes, Pablo Sarabia.
manager
Gary O’Neil – 7/10 – After a dismal start to the campaign, O’Neil will have been immensely proud of his side’s performance against the top team in the division despite the final defeat. Important signs of improvement, especially defensively.
GK: Ederson – 6/10 – He made an impressive save to deny the Wolves a second in the first period and was largely untested for the remainder of the encounter.
RB: Rico Lewis – 7/10 – He regularly broke into midfield from right-back and helped orchestrate Man City’s attacks in tight spaces with some neat passing.
CB: John Stones – 7/10 – Couldn’t get close enough to Strand Larsen as Wolves took the lead but redeemed themselves with the winning goal in stoppage time.
CB: Ruben Dias – 6/10 – Very rarely has he had to get out of second gear, but he will be frustrated by the sluggish defense that allowed Wolves an early lead.
LB: Josko Guardiol – 8/10 – The Man City left-back scored freely again and produced a shocker from outside the area at Molineux. He offered many promises about the overlap everywhere.
DM: Mateo Kovacic – 7/10 – Made some characteristic power runs from deep and was tidy when receiving the ball in the final third.
DM: Ilkay Gundogan – 7/10 – He took some good positions in the final third and showed his class with some moments of ingenuity.
RW: Savinho – 6/10 – Incredibly bright in the first 20 minutes, but his influence waned as the game wore on. Just like his teammates, he lacked cutting edge at key moments.
AM: Bernardo Silva – 6/10 – He saw a lot of the ball while floating around the front line, but rarely caught the eye in possession.
LW: Jeremy Doku – 6/10 – As is often the case with Doku, the driving races and electric pacing were rarely followed by the final product. Another somewhat frustrating performance from the quick-footed Belgian.
ST: Erling Haaland – 4/10 – Anonymous from the first minute to the last and was eclipsed by his Norwegian compatriot in gold. Man City needed more of him against a Wolves backline that has struggled this season.
Substitutes
SUB: Phil Foden (66′ for Doku) – 7/10
SUB: Jack Grealish (73′ for Savinho) – 6/10
SUB: Matheus Nunes (86′ for Kovacic) – N/A
Subs not used: Stefan Ortega (GK), Scott Carson (GK), Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, James McAtee, Nico O’Reilly.
manager
Pep Guardiola – 5/10 – More questions raised after another underwhelming performance without Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne. Lucky to come away with the win.
