The Premier League holders Manchester City travelled to Molineux Stadium to face Wolverhampton Wanderers in round three of the 2018/19 season hoping to build on the good work from the first two games, while the home team came into the match desiring to prove their top-flight status is no fluke.
The Teams
Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo arranged his men in a 3-4-3 formation, with Rui Patricio in goal, and Ryan Bennet, Conor Coady and Willy Boly at the back. Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho held the centre of the park, flanked by Matt Doherty on the right and Jonny Castro on the left. Diogo Jota and Helder Costa played around Raul Jimenez upfront.
Pep Guardiola saw no special reason to deviate from his extremely successful system, with captain Vincent Kompany and Aymeric Laporte at the heart of defence joined by Kyle Walker on the right and Benjamin Mendy on the left. Fernandinho anchored the three-man midfield behind Ilkay Gundogan (instead of the injured Kevin De Bruyne) and David Silva. Bernardo Silva and Raheem Sterling flanked Sergio Aguero in attack.
The First Half – The Wolverhampton Surprise
It needs not really being said that Manchester City got on the front foot right from the start, though Wolves also showed early on they would not be easily intimidated as they got into the visitors’ box after only two minutes.
Still, Guardiola’s team controlled the proceedings in their recognizable fashion, playing quickly on the ball and passing it through the lines with confidence. Wolves mostly hung back, defended responsibly and looked for any opportunity to hit on the counterattack.
Sterling was very good in making runs in behind, while the likes of Aguero made dummy ones to divert attention and potentially fool an offside trap, but the passes from Gundogan and David Silva seemed uncharacteristically rusty. After eight minutes, Wolves threatened on a counterattack and Kompany was very lucky to avoid a card after stopping it with a shirt-pull.
Three mintes later, however, the City captain wasn’t as lucky and referee Martin Atkinson flashed a yellow card in his face for mowing down Neves in a similar situation. A quick attack by the home team followed, ending with a desparate scramble in City’s box and an offside being given against Jota.
It seemed obvious the home team were well-prepared tactically. Fernandinho, Kompany and Laporte weren’t finding it easy to stop their counterattacks, while the home side also worked hard to eliminate the threat of Ederson’s long passes by obstructing the City ‘keeper often. Their lines were tight and the visitors didn’t look as comfortable as usual against a so-called ‘lesser’ opponent.
However, after 15 minutes, Mendy and Aguero combined well to set Gundogan up for a great chance but the German’s finishing from a tight angle wasn’t at its best. Five minutes later Costa broke the other way down the left side and took a shot which got deflected into the path of Jimenez who put it in the net, but the linesman had raised his flag for offside. In the next minute Aguero hit the post from around the penalty spot and Patricio produced a contender for the save of the season to deny Sterling from 20 yards. City continued their domination, but Wolves were still to be reckoned with.
Aguero was playing a great game. In the 28th minute he broke through into the box coming in from the right-hand side, but Boly recovered well to poke the ball away just before he had a chance to shoot. A few minutes later Fernandinho came close with a low drive from range that just missed the target.
After the half-hour mark had gone, the home team started getting on the ball more and pushing City back. Good work from Jimenez and Costa caught the visitors unprepared a few times, and Jimenez had a very good chance to smack it home from close range but couldn’t hit the target.
Soon afterwards some great pressing by Castro earned the ball for Wolves deep in City’s half, but City tracked back quickly and eventually dispossessed Costa. Then they went forward again.
With five minutes remaining in the half, Patricio had trouble with a Mendy cross but Aguero failed to capitalize. Another dangerous break by Wolves followed in which Costa brilliantly exposed Mendy’s defensive shortcomings, but City survived again by defending as a team. A few minutes followed during which City had serious trouble getting out of their own half as Wolves pressed them relentlessly, but they managed it eventually despite some shaky moments from Kompany.
The Second Half
Manchester City applied pressure early on, earning a free-kick in a favorable position followed by two successive corners, but a Kompany header over the bar was the only thing worth mentioning. Then they slowed down and started their recognizable buildup approach.
There were still some dangerous moments for them, as Wolves displayed their own buildup qualities and but for a few misplaced passes, they could have hurt City substantially. They were still determined not to let their high-quality opponents have it all their own way.
In the 55th minute, Laporte’s blunder allowed Costa to run in behind, but Komany forced him wide and Ederson saved his shot from a tight angle. After the ensuing corner was taken, Neves swung in a great cross, finding Boly at the far post who diverted it into the net and gave his team the lead. On second viewing it was obvious the ball had struck Boly’s arm before going in, but the officials in the Premier League still don’t have the luxury of VAR and the goal stood.
A minute later, there was a strong appeal for a City penalty as Neves brought David Silva down inside the box, but Atkinson waved it away. Silva picked up a booking for protest.
Guardiola then pulled out Bernardo Silva and brought on Gabriel Jesus and his team charged forward, looking for an equalizer. However, their efforts seemed much too feeble to trouble Rui Patricio, indeed much too feeble to be worthy of Premier League champions. At the other end, Wolves still occasionally threatened.
But as minute 68 was running out, Sterling earned a free-kick in a position favorable for a good delivery, and Gundogan stepped up to put it on a platter for the incoming Laporte, who slammed his header under the bar and equalized.
Even though another penalty appeal, this time an obvious dive by Aguero, was waved away by the referee quickly after the equalizer, City took heart and attacked hard. Seeing this, Espirito Santo judged he needed fresh legs in attack to trouble the visitors again. Therefore, he replaced the tired-looking Costa with Adama Traore in the 73rd minute.
Three minutes later Jesus had a good chance to turn the game around as he hit a strong header on target from a Mendy cross, but Patricio was in place again. But Wolves still looked determined themselves, and worked hard to push City back whenever they could. Trying to make his line-up even more attacking, Guardiola took off Gundogan after 77 minutes and brought on Leroy Sane. It was now a version of 4-2-4 with David Silva and Fernandinho holding the fort in the middle. But Wolves still resisted.
Five minutes from time, Sterling made way for Riyad Mahrez for City and Ruben Vinagre replaced Castro for Wolves.
As the end approached, City pushed forward hard, but Wolves almost retook the lead when Traore broke down the right flank and found Jota on the far post, but Jota’s volley went over the bar. The substitute winger repeated the feat after only a minute by leaving Mendy in the dust before squaring the ball low into the six-yard box for the run of Jimenez, but Kompany managed to clear the danger.
The fourth official raised his board showing that there would be an addition of five minutes to play after the 90.
Just over sixty seconds of the injury time was left on the clock when Moutinho needlessly mowed down Aguero some 25 yards from the goal. Aguero took the free-kick himself and rattled the bar with a powerful shot, but it bounced out of play. And as Patricio launched the goal-kick, the referee’s whistle sounded for the last time.
Some Afterthoughts
The home team will be thrilled with this result, no doubt about that. There’s also no doubt that they prepared well for this game, that they caused City all kinds of difficulties at both ends of the pitch, and that they thoroughly deserved the luck that was with them. But there’s no denying that they needed all of their wits, hard work and luck to remain undefeated.
On the other hand, Guardiola will certainly not be happy with the result, even though the performance wasn’t as far away from the usual high quality as the result suggests. They were the dominant team, they created a lot, they showed how good they can be, and they simply lacked luck on this day. Two important decisions from the referee went against them, both (arguably) wrong.
There won’t be much for Guardiola to say or do about his team.
An ironic fact to point out from this game is that despite all the flair of Manchester City and indisputable attacking intent from both sides, the two goals were scored by defenders from set-pieces.
Match Report
WOLVES: Patricio 8.5, Bennet 7.5, Coady 7.5, Boly 7, Neves 7.5, Moutinho 6.5, Doherty 6.5, Castro 7 (85′ Vinagre N/A), Jota 7, Costa 8.5 (73′ Traore 8.5), Jimenez 7.5.
MANCHESTER CITY: Ederson 7.5, Kompany 7, Laporte 7, Mendy 6, Fernandinho 7, Gundogan 7.5 (77′ Sane 7), D. Silva 7.5, Sterling 8 (85′ Mahrez N/A), B. Silva 7 (62′ Jesus 7.5), Aguero 8.5.
GOALS: Boly 57′, Laporte 69′.
YELLOW CARDS: Kompany 12′, Coady 41′, D.Silva 60′
RED CARDS: None.
REFEREE: Martin Atkinson.
VENUE: Molineux Stadium.
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