Manchester City 3 Wolves 0 – Report and pictures

Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring after just 10 minutes and Wolves were a man down soon after when Boly was sent off for a foul on Bernardo Silva.

Jonny missed a golden chance from a rare Wolves attack and before half time it was 2-0 when Jesus scored from the spot after Ryan Bennett fouled Raheem Sterling in the box.

The second half was a procession and City made it 3-0 before the end when Kevin De Bruyne's cross deflected in off Romain Saiss.

Analysis

Wolves have pulled off some phenomenal results so far in 2018/19. This never looked like being one of them.

If you're going to win at Manchester City you need to play out of your skins, hope the hosts have an off-day and, mostly importantly, you need a slice of luck. Wolves definitely didn't have the latter, writes Tim Spiers at the Etihad.

City benefitted from a red card, a questionable penalty and an own goal. It bordered on taking the mickey, which is exactly what City did in the closing stages as even their goalkeeper toyed with Wolves when playing a couple of passes near the halfway line.

While you can argue all day whether Willy Boly should have seen red, or whether Raheem Sterling should have stayed on his feet, but City knew how to earn both decisions, surrounding the ref and, in Sterling's case, going to ground in a convincing manner. The home crowd, deathly silent for most of the evening, were at their loudest when appealing for fouls.

In that respect it's a lesson in the dark arts learned for Wolves – and that's just about all they can take from this night, which is one to chalk off to experience and move on. Sadly, a likely three-game ban for Boly means there will be repercussions from a difficult night.

They can take heart from their attitude and spirit and fact they only conceded three goals (City mustered 22 shots to Wolves' two) and there were a couple of bright individual performances including from Adama Traore who attempted to take City on on his own in the second half.

Nuno was also able to substitute Raul Jimenez, Diogo Jota and Joao Moutinho early on, perhaps with one eye on next weekend when Leicester City visit Molineux.

It's games like that which will define whether Wolves achieve their aims for this season.

Match report

Nuno made only two changes from the team that beat Liverpool 2-1 in the FA Cup a week earlier. Rui Patricio and Matt Doherty, both rested for that game, came back into the XI with John Ruddy and Ruben Vinagre dropping to the bench.

Leander Dendoncker kept his place in the side after a couple of solid showings, but there was no place in the squad for Leo Bonatini who's believed to be edging closer to leaving the club on loan.

City left Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne on the bench, with Aguero suffering with illness and De Bruyne still building up his fitness after injury. But looking at their XI, that was the only good news for Wolves.

The hosts had netted a remarkable 16 goals in their previous two home games, albeit against Championship and League One opposition. It was a daunting task for Wolves and the last thing they needed was to concede an early goal – but that's exactly what happened.

Aymeric Laporte played Leroy Sane in down the left with Matt Doherty caught flat-footed – Sane sent the ball into the six-yard box where Gabriel Jesus easily got there in front of the centre halves and Patricio to fire home.

Wolves responded immediately. Raul Jimenez brilliantly held the ball up and found Doherty in space down the right – he had four to pick out in the box but over-hit his cross.

Back came City and they almost doubled their lead when a David Silva 20-yarder took a deflection off Ryan Bennett, but Patricio made a smart save.

At 1-0 down Wolves were well in the game. But their task became mountainous on 19 minutes.

Willy Boly lunged into a tackle on Bernardo Silva. The Frenchman won the ball but referee Craig Pawson deemed the challenge to be dangerous and sent him off. It was a contentious decision, but what couldn't be argued is that Boly was needlessly excessive with the ball only near halfway.

Dendoncker went into central defence in what was now a 5-2-2 formation, with Jimenez and Jota cutting in from out wide.

Credit to Wolves, despite their man disadvantage they didn't change their approach. They were defending in numbers, sure, but also committing men forward on the break when they could, albeit it was a lot harder to work their way upfield.

City were enjoying 80 per cent possession in what was very much attack versus defence. However seven minutes before the break Wolves were able to carve out a golden chance to equalise against the run of play.

Jimenez barged forward on the break and passed to Jonny on the left of the box – he looked to find the bottom far corner but couldn't warp his foot around the ball and played it harmlessly wide.

Just two minutes later Wolves were made to pay for spurning a very rare opportunity with what looked like the game's killer goal

Raheem Sterling wriggled his way into the box and was given the slightest of touches from Bennett's knee – the England man needed no excuse to go down and duly did. Jesus despatched the penalty for his seventh goal in just three games and Wolves' night went from mission improbable to mission impossible.

Nuno called for Adama Traore at half time, with Jimenez replaced, and the Spaniard make a positive impact with a couple of searching runs, using his pace and strength to good effect to trouble Laporte down Wolves' right.

On a couple of occasions he got to the byline, but with little support it was hard to create a chance.

At the other end City were peppering Wolves' goals with shots from Kyle Walker and Fernandinho, while Sane shanked one wide from a good position.

Romain Saiss came on for a tiring Jota with 58 minutes on the clock as Wolves went one up top.

The away fans weren't being given much to cheer so resorted to gallows humour, cheering 'ole' as Wolves enjoyed a very rare spell of possession.

There would have been a wry smile from many of them when City sent on one of the world's best midfielders, De Bruyne, on the hour mark and the Belgian whistled a bullet half volley over shortly after.

Morgan Gibbs-White replaced Moutinho with Nuno perhaps now having one eye on next weekend. With time running out City were extremely comfortable and it seemed only a matter of how many they could score in the closing stages, albeit Wolves were defending manfully and trying to attack through Traore when they could.

With 12 left on the clock City added the third goal their dominance merited. De Bruyne whipped in a cross from the left which deflected off Coady and nestled in the bottom corner

The closing stages were summed up when Edersen came out his goal to intercept a pass and then stayed near the halfway line to receive a couple of passes.

It topped off a night to forget for Wolves.

Key moments

10 - Goal! City open the scoring with their first shot. Sane is released in behind the Wolves defence on the left-hand side, and he squares the ball across goal. Patricio reaches for it but can't get there. Jesus does though, poking home from a few yards out.

19 - WOLVES RED CARD! Boly is off after lunging in on Bernardo Silva! The Frenchman gets a foot on the ball, but he then catches the City man on the ankle with his studs at speed and with force. Dangerous tackle.

39 - Goal! Jesus scores his second for City, from the penalty spot, after Sterling goes down under a challenge from Bennett in the box. Wolves will be kicking themselves as, just before, Otto missed a fantastic opportunity on the counter.

78 - Goal! City make it 3-0. De Bruyne swings a cross into the area, and it ends up in the back of the net via a deflection off Coady.

Teams

Man City (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Stones, Laporte, Danilo; Fernandinho, B Silva, D Silva (De Bruyne, 61); Sterling, Jesus (Aguero, 76), Sane (Gundogan, 74)

Subs not used: Muric (gk), Otamendi, Delph, Mahrez

Goals: Jesus (10) (39), Coady (own goal, 78)

Wolves (3-4-3): Patricio (gk); Bennett, Coady (c), Boly; Doherty, Dendoncker, Neves, Moutinho (Gibbs-White, 72), Otto; Jimenez (Traore, 46), Jota (Saiss, 58)

Subs not used: Ruddy (gk), Vinagre, Caveleiro, Costa

Red card: Boly (19)

Attendance: 54,171

Referee: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire)

League position

11th (29 points from 22 matches)

Next up

Wolves host Leicester City next Saturday at Molineux, kick off is at 12.30pm.