Manchester City 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0: City player ratings from Manchester City’s routine win | OneFootball

Manchester City 2 (Omar Marmoush 6′, Antoine Semenyo 45+2′)

Wolverhampton Wanderers 0

Here are the Manchester City player ratings as they picked up a valuable three points with a comfortable 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Etihad Stadium. First-half goals from Omar Marmoush and Antoine Semenyo were enough for Pep Guardiola’s side to get back to winning ways after a tough week.

Pep Guardiola rang the changes after his team’s disappointing defeat to Bodø/Glimt. Erling Haaland and Phil Foden were dropped to the bench for today’s match as Guardiola made five changes to the team that lost in Norway. Marc Guehi made his Manchester City debut and Matheus Nunes returned from illness in good news for City ahead of kickoff.

First half.

Manchester City began the match brightly, as there was a real intent from Pep Guardiola’s side to pin the visitors deep in their own half. Wolves’ intention to get in behind Manchester City’s high defensive line was also apparent early on. Rob Edwards’ side tried several long balls early on over the City defence, which were dealt with by Pep Guardiola’s side.

Manchester City take the lead through Omar Marmoush.

Omar Marmoush gave Manchester City the lead in the 6th minute as City were rewarded for their early intent. Matheus Nunes played in a quality cross from the right, which Omar Marmoush got on the end of, and he beat Wolves keeper José Sá with an instinctive volley from the six-yard box to give City the lead. Scoring early was the ideal start for Pep Guardiola’s side after a tough week.

Manchester City almost made it 2-0 two minutes after Omar Marmoush’s goal. Marc Guehi played a long ball over the top of the Wolves defence. Antoine Semenyo got on the end of Guehi’s pass and hit a volley on goal from inside the Wolves area. José Sá made a good save to prevent City from doubling their lead.

Outside of a left-footed Rayan Cherki shot that went wide in the 17th minute, Manchester City dominated possession and pinned Wolves deep in their own half. But Pep Guardiola’s side didn’t create any real chances of note as the game passed the half-hour mark.

Omar Marmoush would hit the post in the 35th minute. Abdukodir Khusanov played in a quality long ball over the Wolves defence. Marmoush controlled the ball superbly well and his neat finish beat José Sá and struck the post and stayed out. But as Marmoush flicked the ball back past Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera, the Colombian defender stuck out his arm which the ball struck. A lengthy VAR check ensued. After deliberation, referee Farai Hallam stuck with his on-field decision and didn’t award City a penalty and the game continued.

Antoine Semenyo doubles Manchester City’s lead on the stroke of halftime.

Manchester City would take a 2-nil lead in the second minute of first-half stoppage time. A beautifully constructed City move resulted in Bernardo Silva picking out Antoine Semenyo on the edge of Wolves’ penalty area. Semenyo got himself into a dangerous position inside the the area and he beat José Sá with an composed left-footed finish to double his team’s lead.

Semenyo’s goal would be the final moment of the first-half and Manchester City deservedly took a 2-nil lead into halftime.

Second half.

The first 15 minutes of the second-half passed by without any major incidents. Wolves had several corners as they attempted to get back into the game. But they came to nothing for Rob Edwards side. In the 60th minute, Phil Foden replaced Tijjani Reijnders. Foden would make his 350th appearance for Manchester City after coming off the bench today.

Wolves did have their moments as the second-half continued. Gianluigi Donnarumma made a mess of coming for a free kick in the 67th minute, and that could have resulted in a way back into the game for the visitors. Donnarumma came for a free kick and didn’t get there. Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera got his head to the ball and fortunately, the ball hit Donnarumma’s left hand after he missed his punch with his right hand.

Antoine Semenyo would cannon a left-footed strike into the cross bar in the 78th minute. A sweeping City attack saw Phil Foden pick out Semenyo on the left-hand side of the Wolves penalty area. After a neat step over, Semenyo worked himself onto his left foot and he unleashed an unstoppable shot that had José Sá well beaten. But Semenyo’s shot hit the crossbar and stayed out.

Yerson Mosquera would hit the crossbar with a neat header in the 86th minute. Mosquera flicked on a Wolves corner and his header hit the crossbar with Donnarumma beaten and the ball went behind for a goal kick.

Just before the final whistle, Nico O’Reilly and Marc Guehi made two blocks on Wolves shots that sparked a celebration from Manchester City’s defenders. It was great moment to see and showed the Manchester City players determination to keep a clean sheet today.

When the final whistle blew, City had picked up three points and got back to winning ways. The performance wasn’t flawless from Pep Guardiola’s side, but all that mattered today was that City picked up three points. They did that and it was pleasing to see after the last week.

City player ratings

Gianluigi Donnarumma-5/10: Donnarumma didn’t have any saves of note to make, but his efforts in coming for set pieces weren’t the best.

Matheus Nunes-8/10: Nunes was superb at right-back. His assist for Omar Marmoush’s goal was superb and brought stability to Manchester City’s play.

Abdukodir Khusanov-7/10: Did his defensive work with minimal fuss.

Marc Guehi-9/10: Manchester City’s man-of-the-match for me. His leadership at the back stood out throughout the match. He played several good long balls and defended well when required. 

Nico O’Reilly-7/10: A composed display from O’Reilly. 

Rodri-7.5/10: He looked much more like the Rodri of old today. His positioning was superb and he did his job well in midfield. 

Bernardo Silva-7.5/10: Grabbed an assist for Antoine Semenyo’s goal and put himself about like he typically does.

Tijjani Reijnders-5/10: A quiet performance from Reijnders. He didn’t get into the game as he would’ve Iiked which was disappointing. 

Antoine Semenyo-8/10: Semenyo continued his strong start to his City career. Grabbed a goal and almost scored another in the second-half. He is fast becoming a valuable weapon for Pep Guardiola’s side.

Rayan Cherki-7/10: I really liked Cherki’s desire to get on the ball and influence play, although his end product was lacking. 

Omar Marmoush-8/10: Marmoush grabbed a goal with a clever finish and he put himself about all game before he was substituted. His work out of possession to help press Wolves was also pleasing to see.

Substitutes

Phil Foden-6/10: Some nice touches from Foden after he came on.

Jeremy Doku-6/10: Didn’t stand out after coming on.

Erling Haaland-6/10: The important thing today was that Haaland got the opportunity to rest. He did that and didn’t do much after coming on but that was irrelevant.