Manchester City 3-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Before you read this match report, you should read this and realise what the English game is witnessing right now is a scoring phenomenon.
Ok, on with the show…
Highlights of the game
When Julen Lopetegui arrived in the Premier League – just before the World Cup although he didn’t take charge until Christmas – this SBOTOP writer’s feeling was emphatic: Wolves were going to be just fine.
The fact they came into this visit to the champions, Manchester City, above the drop zone was early proof, given they were bottom when the Spaniard arrived.
City manager Pep Guardiola would also have been aware of the difference his compatriot had made; Lopetegui’s gold-shirted charges performing with a greater energy, organisation and quality in the past month.
In many ways then, a positive result at the Etihad would be a bonus for the boys from the Black Country who have only defeated City twice in 20 years.
Of course, there was one man in particular they had to stop.
Guardiola made two changes to the City that came from behind to beat Spurs 4-2 on Thursday.
Kevin de Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte were unused substitutes in midweek but both were recalled to the starting line-up as Nathan Ake and Julian Alvarez dropped to the bench.
Lopetegui decided on six alterations after the third round FA Cup replay defeat by Liverpool on Tuesday – a tie they should really not have had to face – with new signing from Nice, Mario Lemina, handed a start in midfield.
Winger Pablo Sarabia, who joined from Paris St-Germain last week, was among the subs.
Lopetegui has also recruited Matheus Cunha this month and just before kick-off announced the capture of defender Craig Dawson from West Ham for £3.3 million – a player this observer believes will be a crucial addition.
Their fourth January signing was registered too late to feature in this contest, though, and his new defensive colleagues were always likely to have a busy afternoon.
With the chance to close the gap on leaders Arsenal – for a few hours at least – to two points, this was also an ideal chance for City to lay down a marker.
The hosts controlled possession but it took almost 20 minutes for a chance to materialise as de Bruyne fed a pass into the box for Erling Haaland and the Norwegian’s snapshot was saved by Jose Sa.
The pattern of play continued as the organised visitors proved obdurate and Rodri was next to go close with a rising effort just over the bar.
The question was, could Wolves continue to frustrate their opponents before the break. It turned out not.
Six minutes of the first half were remaining when Haaland, who else?!, broke the deadlock with a goal which equalled the record of last season’s top scorers in the league (Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-Min) – we are only at the halfway point of the campaign!
Riyad Mahrez laid the ball off for de Bruyne whose delivery was met by the towering Norwegian and he planted an unstoppable header low into the net.
As well as Haaland’s record-equalling goal, it was also De Bruyne’s 11th league assist of the season.
It was nearly a longer way back for Wolves on the stroke of half-time when Jack Grealish cut inside and curled a shot past Sa but not beyond Nathan Collins who expertly headed off the line.
Lopetegui made three changes at the interval with Joao Moutinho, debutant Sarabia and Cunha entering the fray and the latter nearly provided an instant equaliser from a Lemina cross only for Laporte to intervene.
It was to prove a key moment.
Moments later Ruben Neves tripped Ilkay Gundogan in the box and Haaland made no mistake for his 24th league goal and 30th in all competitions this term.
As if topping last season’s scoring record was not sufficient, Haaland was going to come away with the match ball and had his fourth hat-trick of the season when Sa gifted the ball to Mahrez who unselfishly allowed him to stroke into an open net.
A total of 25 top flight goals and Premier League highlights galore for this phenomenal young talent.
I wonder if there are any Premier League betting odds on him topping the record of 34 top flight goals in a single season set by Andy Cole (1994) and Alan Shearer (1995)?
Incidentally, those achievements came in 42-league match campaign as opposed to the now 38.
Back to the game and substitute Ake produced a brilliant block to deny Sarabia a consolation before another sub, World Cup winner Alvarez – who replaced Haaland before the hour mark – was only kept out by the smart reflexes of Sa.
Gundogan should have added a fourth but the contest was long over as fans and statisticians across the country started working out just what else is possible for the man nicknamed ‘The Terminator’ this season.
For Wolves, still plenty of reasons to be positive but they quickly need to get their shooting boots on.
They are the lowest scorers in the top flight this season with 12 goals from 20 matches – 13 fewer than Haaland has registered.
Key statistics
Only Shearer (five in 1995-96) has scored more Premier League hat-tricks in a single season than Haaland (four so far this term).
De Bruyne has been directly involved in 10 goals in his last seven Premier League appearances against Wolves, scoring five and assisting five. The only players to have netted more versus Wolves in the top flight are Robbie Keane and Chris Wood (six each).
City are unbeaten in their last 32 English Premier League matches when leading at half-time, dating back to May 2021 against Brighton – they had already won the league by then that season.
Wolves have taken just four points from nine Premier League visits to City.
Guardiola has won three of his four managerial meetings with Lopetegui in all competitions, including City’s 4-0 win away to Sevilla in the Champions League this season.
This was Wolves’ 1,000th top flight defeat.
What’s next?
The champions and the leaders clash next weekend but it’s not in the Premier League.
Instead, City welcome Arsenal to the Etihad in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Friday night (Jan 27).
Wolves, meanwhile, have a fortnight off before their next outing. Not that it gets much easier as they welcome last season’s runners-up Liverpool to Molyneux on February 4.
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