Wolves 0-4 Manchester City: Haaland at the double as Cityzens demolish hosts
Erling Haaland continued his remarkable season-opening form with a clinical double as Manchester City launched their Premier League campaign in emphatic fashion, crushing Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-0 at Molineux Stadium on Saturday. The comprehensive victory marked an impressive start to what Pep Guardiola hopes will be a redemptive season following last term's disappointing third-place finish.
New signings Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki both found the net on their competitive debuts for the Citizens, providing early evidence that Guardiola's summer recruitment drive may have addressed the squad's shortcomings from the previous campaign. The convincing performance showcased the tactical evolution and renewed hunger within the Manchester City ranks as they seek to reclaim their domestic dominance.
Haaland, who has now scored in all four season-opening fixtures since arriving in England's top flight, opened the scoring in the 34th minute through a trademark finish. The breakthrough came when Reijnders delivered an intelligent chipped pass to Rico Lewis, who provided a precise low cross that the Norwegian striker converted with his characteristic composure in front of goal.
The floodgates opened just three minutes later when Reijnders doubled the advantage with his maiden goal in City colors. Oscar Bobb, making his return after missing most of last season due to a broken leg, capitalized on a wayward pass from the Wolves defense before setting up the Dutch midfielder, who fired an unstoppable shot into the far corner of the net.
Haaland completed his brace in the 61st minute, demonstrating the predatory instincts that have made him the Premier League's leading scorer in his first two seasons at the Etihad Stadium. Once again, Bobb proved instrumental in the buildup, pulling the ball back for the striker to unleash a powerful low drive that beat Jose Sa comprehensively.
Guardiola expressed his satisfaction with his star striker's early-season sharpness, noting the positive signs observed during pre-season preparations.
"Erling is in a good tone, we felt it in the training sessions, the rhythm," Guardiola told Sky Sports. "Really satisfied with that."
The Norwegian's afternoon ended prematurely when he was substituted midway through the second half to make way for Cherki, denying him the opportunity to complete a third career hat-trick against Wolves. However, the replacement proved equally effective, with the French winger capping off a memorable debut by scoring City's fourth goal in the 81st minute to complete the comprehensive victory.
Manchester City's summer of transformation followed a rare trophy-less campaign that prompted significant changes to Guardiola's squad composition. The club invested heavily in new talent, acquiring Reijnders, Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri, and James Trafford while bidding farewell to established stars including Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker, and Kevin De Bruyne.
The immediate impact of the new signings provided encouragement for supporters hoping to see their team return to championship-winning form. Goalkeeper Trafford looked particularly assured on his debut, stepping in confidently for Ederson, who missed the match due to illness.
Reijnders reflected on his dream Premier League debut, expressing his delight at contributing both a goal and an assist in such a significant fixture.
"It's a really nice start, of course, to start with a goal and an assist," Reijnders told Sky Sports. "And especially in the Premier League, it's a thing you always dreamed about, starting like this. The first game of the season you don't know what will happen, how the opponent will play. We did quite good. Of course, they put some good pressure on us but we stayed calm. A good four-nil win."
Wolves manager Vitor Pereira acknowledged the quality gap between the teams while praising his players' effort and approach to the challenging encounter.
"We played with bravery, tried to score goals and we had our chances to score. In the end each time we committed a mistake they punished us with a goal," he told BBC radio.
The match began with deeply emotional scenes at Molineux as supporters participated in a minute of applause to honor the memory of former Wolves forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who tragically died in a car crash in July. The poignant tribute included a massive banner displaying the message "We'll remember you when you walk in fields of gold."
Fans continued their tribute by chanting "Diogo, Diogo" during the 18th minute, corresponding to Jota's shirt number during his time at Wolves. The touching remembrance concluded with Jota's jersey being placed on the pitch following the final whistle, providing a meaningful backdrop to the day's footballing action.
SportsLigue