Manchester City 5-1 Wolves
Last season, Erling Haaland made headlines by scoring a hat-trick at home against the Wolverhampton Wanderers. This season, he outdid himself by scoring four goals, leading Manchester City to a decisive 5-1 victory in the Premier League.
From the outset, Manchester City displayed an aggressive and dominant style of play. Their efforts quickly paid off when Rayan Aït-Nouri was penalized for fouling Joško Gvardiol as he attempted a shot. Haaland took the resulting penalty, deceiving goalkeeper José Sá with his shot direction and scoring early in the game, just 12 minutes in. This marked his consecutive scoring in games since his return from injury, clearly showing his critical role in the team's attack.
Wolverhampton tried to assert themselves, with Nathan Aké and goalkeeper Ederson needing to intervene several times to prevent the visitors from equalizing. Despite these efforts, Manchester City maintained control, and Haaland once again highlighted his aerial prowess by scoring a powerful header from Rodri’s precisely delivered cross at the 35-minute mark. A subsequent penalty gave Haaland the opportunity to complete his 21st career hat-trick before halftime.
In the second half, Wolverhampton's Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, who came on at the break, assisted Hwang Hee-chan in scoring a goal, momentarily raising the visitors' hopes. However, Ederson quickly rectified his earlier misjudgment by initiating a play that culminated in Haaland defeating Kilman to score his 25th Premier League goal of the season. Sá's frustrations were evident as he later managed to tip another of Haaland's shots over the bar. Meanwhile, frustration spilled over for Wolverhampton as Boubacar Traoré and João Gomes received yellow cards in their attempts to stem Manchester City's attacks.
After Haaland was substituted, his replacement Julián Álvarez continued the scoring trend, netting a goal shortly after entering the game. This goal helped Manchester City set a new club record of 43 consecutive home games without defeat across all competitions. Despite this impressive feat, the team remains more focused on overtaking Arsenal in the Premier League standings, trailing by just one point with a game in hand, aiming for their fourth consecutive title. Meanwhile, this match extended Wolverhampton Wanderers’ winless streak on the road to five games, underscoring their ongoing challenges away from home.
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