EPL: Man City thrash Wolves winning the season opener for the 10th time

For the first 45 minutes we saw why Manchester City could be title contenders; for the next 45 we discovered why any challenge may just fizzle out again.

They took Wolves apart, then almost gave the game away. As potent as they looked going forward, so they were vulnerable at the back. Pep Guardiola spent £40m on a new centre-half, but it’s as you were, really.

True, City were not at full strength at the back and John Stones no longer inspires confidence. Even so, Wolves had enough chances to win, let alone draw level, and gave City a torrid time Raul Jimenez pulled one back on 78 minutes.

Wolves famously came back from the dead in this fixture last season – 2-0 down, 3-2 up –and something similar could have happened here. Instead, missed chances cost them badly, and spared City further humiliation. Even so: phew. No team blows hot and cold quite as spectacularly as City. One could have been tipping for the title at half-time, and rueing the bet 15 minutes later.

It was a good goal that caused the late consternation, but Wolves are capable of that. Daniel Podence even nutmegged Kevin De Bruyne on the way to threading the ball through to Jimenez, converting his header from eight yards. Yet could Benjamin Mendy have cut out the cross, could Stones have put in a challenge? And why are we still asking these questions, when Guardiola has had many months to address these weaknesses. It is not enough to blame the absence of one man. It cannot be that if Aymeric Laporte is out, City remain vulnerable. Not when they are capable of taking the game to such heights as an attacking force.

The fact that Manchester City were chasing a record dating back to the 19th century says much about their standing in English football across the last decade. It was Aston Villa who set the benchmark for season starts, winning their first game in ten campaigns straight between 1891 and 1900. It was that achievement City sought to equal last night.

The odds were not entirely with them, mind. Wolves have been something of a bogey team of late, doing the double over City last season, getting a draw the year before. City have only beaten Wolves in one of their last five meetings, not including a penalty shoot-out victory in the EFL Cup three seasons ago. Then there was the matter of injuries and absences – seven on the City side, including their best defender Aymeric Laporte, and most dangerous striker, Sergio Aguero.

It made not a jot of difference. City were outstanding in the first-half, a different class really. By the time Wolves forged a chance of note, City were two goals up and comfortable. Not coasting, because they rarely coast – but wholly in charge. Their football was quite beautiful at times, quick, incisive passing exchanges, restless movement, the intelligence of Kevin De Bruyne setting the tempo. It seems madness to think of Phil Foden as an upgrade on the departed David Silva, but he is younger and poses even more of a goal threat. Pepo Guardiola has waited patiently – as has Foden himself – but there is no question he is now unleashing a player perfectly suited to the elite Premier League environment. He has started 33 games for Manchester City now and in that time recorded 12 goals and ten assists.

From the second minute, Wolves were on the back foot. That was when Raheem Sterling turned Willy Boly exquisitely, then took a very clumsy touch and crumpled beneath the presence of Conor Coady. Not a tackle, because Coady was smart enough not to commit, but merely placing himself in Sterling’s vicinity was enough for the City man to fall. Coady reacted furiously, fearing the worst, but referee Andre Marriner was wise to it. He waved play on and decided to give Sterling the benefit of the doubt. It looked a dive. Marriner chose to view his fall more as an unfortunate coincidence. Lucky fellow.

Sadly, the same cannot be said for Wolves new signing Marcal, who lasted just eight minutes before picking up a knock that forced the immediate introduction of Ruben Vinagre. It was a like for like replacement and too early in the game to assess Marcal’s influence, but it was not as if City needed any assistance. Minutes later, a De Bruyne free-kick from 25 yards out had forced a save from Wolves goalkeeper Rui Patricio.

The goal was coming, though, Wolves were creaking, and in the 19th minute the breakthrough came. De Bruyne had been stretching the defence to its limit all game but one run tempted Romain Saiss into a thoughtless lunge. This time there was no doubt, and no decision for Marriner to make. He pointed to the spot and De Bruyne stepped up, now established as City’s problem-solving penalty taker. No mistake this time, either. Perfectly positioned to the right, he gave Patricio no chance, even guessing correctly.

Now City turned the screw. There was a quite fabulous move after 30 minutes involving Gabriel Jesus, Foden and Sterling before Patricio saved, and a minute later similar intricate patterns conjured a second. This time the running order was Foden to Jesus, to De Bruyne, feeding Sterling on the left and cut back to Foden for a whip-smart finish. He could have added another on 39 minutes, too, with a curling shot from the right after being put through by De Bruyne once more. Finally, to complete 45 minutes of almost complete domination, a Jesus flick put De Bruyne in one on one, before Patricio tipped round. He had been a very busy boy.

Wolves, though, have threat of their own and no matter City’s excellence, Nuno Esprito Santo’s men are never out of the action. So it proved. It took 41 minutes to produce their first big chance – an Adama Traore cross headed wide by Raul Jiminez – but after half-time they were a different proposition entirely.

Scare after scare troubled City, with John Stones again unconvincing in the heart of defence. First, Traore picked out Daniel Podence, whose shot on the turn from 12 yards out travelled just wide. Soon after a Ruben Neves shot – which could have been struck harder – was cleared off the line by Kyle Walker, before Podence broke through again, outpacing Stone this time before finishing with a lame attempted chip. Finally, bringing to an end a ten-minute spell that could have seen four Wolves goal, Traore cut one back to Jimenez who screwed his shot wide from the perfect position.

(DailyMail)