Match Report and Player Ratings: Manchester City 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers (Premier League) | OneFootball

Manchester City rise to third in the Premier League table after gaining another three points with a largely uncomfortable victory against Wolves on Friday night.

The Belgian double act of Jeremy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne combined in the first-half to score the only goal of the game in a tricky period for the Blues, with the latter adding another goal to his farewell tour in a Manchester City shirt.

Within the opening two minutes, both sides registered their first shots at goal with Manchester City’s coming from an unlikely source in Ruben Dias, whose effort had goalkeeper Jose Sa worried before going wide of the post.

The visitors were applying a high-press and bringing the fight to Pep Guardiola’s men, forcing an error from the boys in blue and Matheus Cunha struck high and wide at the other end, much to the relief of the City fans.

And it was the visitors who had the first real chance and should have taken the lead. Jean-Ricne Bellegarde found himself through on goal with only Ederson to beat, attempting to square the ball to Marshall Munetsi but the pass was over-hit and the Cityzens escaped.

Moments later, Wolves had another golden opportunity and felt as though they should have taken lead with Rayan Ait-Nouri’s shot beating Ederson at the far post. This time the woodwork saved the Blues and a goal line clearance from Josko Gvardiol denied a rebound.

Despite the chances from Vitor Pereira’s side, Manchester City took the lead through captain Kevin De Bruyne following a brilliant bit of attacking play from fellow Belgian international teammate, Jeremy Doku.

The move started with Bernardo Silva winning the ball in the Wolves half and the dynamic Doku was released. He breezed past his defender with ease before pulling the ball back with pinpoint accuracy to the right boot of De Bruyne, who found the back of the net.

The Blues remained in control for the rest of the first-half and looked more significantly more confident going into the half-time break with the advantage.

From what seemed like nowhere, Matheus Nunes struck the post from the edge of the penalty area in the first chance of the second 45 and Pep Guardiola responded with a defensive change with Manuel Akanji replacing Nico O’Reilly to provide more stability.

Jeremy Doku was continuing to be a problem for the Wolves defence on the left side despite the changes from the visitors. The winger must have thought he had sparked the second goal of the game but Omar Marmoush’s effort flew over the bar from the edge of the box.

One of the key moments of the second-half was the substitution by Pep Guardiola to bring in Akanji and reinforce the defence. The addition of the Swiss international allowed Josko Gvardiol to venture forward and put another body in midfield, controlling possession in a frantic game at times.

The final moments of this game saw City dominate the ball, hanging onto the one goal lead and a crucial three points in the race for a top-five finish. The older players used experience to slow the tempo and see out the rest of this game and wait for the full time whistle.

Up next for Manchester City is a trip to the south coast to face an already-relegated Southampton side at the St Mary’s Stadium on Saturday 10 May as they look to secure a UEFA Champions League spot for next season.

Here’s how we rated the Manchester City team’s individual performances after yet another hugely important victory!

Player Ratings

Starting XI

Ederson – 7.5

Another clean sheet but was lacking in his usual distribution and passing which is a rarity for him.

Matheus Nunes – 7.5

Did well to keep his head despite the jeers from the travelling Wolves fans. He played a much more defensive role this game and did really well.

Ruben Dias – 8

Always immense at the back and creates such a calm feeling around the defence whenever he plays.

Josko Gvardiol – 8

Goal-line clearance in the first-half that kept the game within Manchester City’s grasp and he works well beside Ruben Dias in the middle of defence, but is arguably still more effective from the left side and coming in.

Nico O’Reilly – 7

Found himself in almost every position on the left, even sometimes being the furthest man forward. Always looked to move forward when in possession but did give the ball away a little too much.

Mateo Kovacic – 7

Seemed to be scrambling at points in the first-half due to the pace of the Wolves midfield but had a better second-half.

Bernardo Silva – 8.5

Started the opening goal with a great tackle. Played well on his 400th game for the club and still covers every blade of grass for the team.

Ilkay Gundogan – 7

Added a level of calmness and experience in the final third but didn’t make as big of an impact on the game as others. Released Jeremy Doku for Kevin De Bruyne’s goal.

Jeremy Doku – 8.5

Electric. Dynamic. And creative. Was arguably the key man for many today for creating chances and earned himself another excellent assist in the Premier League.

Kevin De Bruyne (C) – 8.5 (MOTM)

Took his goal really well and led the team by example afterwards by chasing every ball and fighting to stop Wolves rebounding.

Omar Marmoush – 7

One of his quieter games in a Manchester City shirt but continued to make runs in-behind the opposition he just didn’t receive the ball as much as he would have liked.

Substitutes

Manuel Akanji – 7.5

Added another level of control when he came and helped to calm the game down and keep possession. A smart substitution at the right point in the game.

Phil Foden – N/A

Fresh pair of legs in the midfield to fight late on but did not see much of the ball.

Rico Lewis – N/A

Made a powerful run into the Wolves box late in the game, showing that he is wanting to go forwards and create.

James McAtee – N/A

Had limited impact since coming on due to lack of time.

Nico – N/A

No time to mark.