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Wolves came close to a point before City sped away in the last ten minutes to make it 21 wins on the bounce

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Tue 2 Mar 2021 17.22 ESTFirst published on Tue 2 Mar 2021 14.00 EST
Gabriel Jesus fires home Manchester City’s second goal of the game.
Gabriel Jesus fires home Manchester City’s second goal of the game. Photograph: Carl Recine/Pool/PA
Gabriel Jesus fires home Manchester City’s second goal of the game. Photograph: Carl Recine/Pool/PA

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Nuno’s turn. “First half we were organised but not a threat ... it was difficult to recover the ball ... in the second much better until we reached the draw ... but after the draw we lost control of the game again and made clear mistakes ... but we were in the game at 1-1 and threatening ... but the game went away from us ... we were 1-1, and that says the team was compact and organised ... City are very talented ... the way they press and recover the ball really punishes you.”

Pep talks. “Well deserved ... it was a fantastic game ... we suffered because we conceded a goal with their first shot on target ... it is so difficult to play against them ... but we were fantastic ... we played really well ... after 1-1 we suffered for five minutes, but calmed that situation and we created a lot of chances at the end ... yeah, well deserved ... we lost two balls because we wanted attack too quick ... sometimes you need more process ... but the rest was brilliant.” He’s then asked about continuing the 21-match winning run, and his answer is simple: “Man United.” He’s not deviating from his mantra: one game at a time.

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Riyad Mahrez, named man of the match, speaks to BT Sport. “It was a tough game ... I think we started very, very good ... we could have killed the game in the first half ... it was offside for maybe this [pinches thumb and forefinger] ... second half was more difficult, they pressed higher ... they managed to score but we finished very good, we never gave up, kept pressing and made chances to score ... sometimes you can have the ball for 95 percent but you have to kill the game and we didn’t do it in the first half ... the last ten minutes was so good ... we are very happy, we keep going ... we have to play game by game and see what happens ... the quality of every player is so good and everyone makes his contribution.”

Pep Guardiola’s relentless side now have a 15-point lead at the top of the Premier League table. Manchester United, in second, come to the Etihad on Sunday. Should City win the derby, making it 22 wins on the bounce, they’ll surely be home and hosed. They’re surely home and hosed even if they don’t. Meanwhile Wolves, for all their second-half effort, remain in 12th with 34 points.

FULL TIME: Manchester City 4-1 Wolverhampton Wanderes

That’s the final act of the evening. As contradictory as it may sound, the 4-1 scoreline is the least City deserve for their dominance, determination and overall panache, and yet simultaneously harsh on Wolves, who came so close to eking out a draw, and even threatened to find a winner for a while. City are 21 up!

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GOAL! Manchester City 4-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers (Jesus 90+3)

Gundogan aims for the bottom right. Rui Patricio parries well, but the rebound falls to Jesus, who slams home. The flag goes up for offside, and the referee initially rules it out, but VAR spots Coady playing Jesus onside. Goal!

Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus scores his side’s fourth goal of the game. Photograph: Carl Recine/Pool/PA
Here’s the view of the finish from behind the goal. Photograph: Eddie Keogh/NMC Pool
Jesus celebrates his goal. Photograph: Carl Recine/Reuters
There’s lots of happy faces after Jesus bagged his second and City’s fourth. Photograph: Eddie Keogh/NMC Pool
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90 min +2: A huge sigh of relief for City, who were made to work hard to keep their winning streak alive.

GOAL! Manchester City 3-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers (Mahrez 90)

The sub’s first touch gifts City the clincher. Otasowie dawdles with the ball at his feet, just inside his own box. Rodri strips him and feeds Gundogan inside. Gundogan and Sterling combine to tee up Mahrez, who sweeps into the bottom left. 21 up!

Riyad Mahrez sweeps home City’s third. Photograph: Carl Recine/Pool/PA
Mahrez celebrates his goal. Photograph: Eddie Keogh/NMC Pool
Wolves’ keeper Rui Patricio reacts after conceding a third goal. Photograph: Carl Recine/Pool/Reuters
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89 min: Walker is forced to reach top speed to deny Neto a free run down the left. That’s almost as valuable as his assist. Staunch, with City otherwise extremely light at the back. Otasowie replaces Neves.

87 min: Moutinho whips to the near post. Laporte heads clear. Neto sends it back in from the left. Dendoncker slams a header miles over the bar. Half a chance, if not a sitter.

86 min: But here we go. Neto takes on Walker down the left and earns a corner. Moutinho, their dead-ball specialist, races over to take.

85 min: Wolves seem a little stunned, having done so well to hold City to a one-goal lead, then haul themselves level. For a while, they threatened to take the lead themselves, until City settled. They haven’t really responded to Jesus’ goal.

83 min: City were rocking for a few minutes after Wolves’ equaliser, but how they cleared their heads, gathering themselves to come at their opponents again, like a train! What moxie! Mentality monsters, to borrow a phrase coined by last season’s champions.

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GOAL! Manchester City 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers (Jesus 80)

Mahrez slides Walker clear down the right. Walker fizzes into a crowded six-yard box, looking for Sterling. The ball clanks off Dendoncker’s heel, teeing up Jesus, six yards out. Jesus makes no mistake, slamming home, and City’s run is back on!

Jesus is congratulated by Kyle Walker (left) as other members of the Manchester City come over to join in the celebrations. Photograph: Carl Recine/Pool/Getty Images
Whilst Wolves’ Conor Coady, Rui Patricio, Ruben Neves and Romain Saiss look crest-fallen. Photograph: Sam Bagnall/Wolves/Getty Images
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77 min: Yep, this is locked into a groove alright. Once again, Wolves half-clear a corner. Once again, Sterling looks to send a curler into the top right. This one’s beaten Rui Patricio, but shaves the outside of the post. Sterling cocks his head back and wails in frustration. Such a good effort. He’s been marvellous tonight.

76 min: Wolves half-clear the corner. City come again, Rodri crossing from the right. Coady again heading out for a corner. Wolves half-clear again. Sterling tries a curler towards the top right. Blocked. Another corner. Safe to say a pattern is developing.

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75 min: Mahrez probes down the right. He curls in low. Coady dives low to turn the ball out for a corner. “Here in Finland we get the official Premier League broadcast,” reports Kári Tulinius. “When Coady headed it in, the score ticked up to 2-0. I understand the scorekeeper, the idea that anyone but City would score the next goal seemed ludicrous, the game had settled for a nap under a blanket of City domination.”

73 min: Mahrez crosses from the right. Jesus prepares to flick goalwards, but Coady eyebrows out for a corner, then clears the set piece himself. Coady is really putting in a captain’s shift here. But then City come back at Wolves, Silva rolling a ball down the right for Mahrez, who crosses low. Sterling elegantly back-flicks towards the bottom left. It flies inches wide. Wow! What a finish that would have been.

Raheem Sterling goes close with an audacious effort. Photograph: Eddie Keogh/NMC Pool
Sterling reacts. Photograph: Eddie Keogh/NMC Pool
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71 min: Neto becomes the first man to go in the referee’s notebook, for a cynical clip on De Bruyne’s ankle. City load the box for the resulting free kick, but nothing occurs.

70 min: Wolves have come alive, City are suddenly all over the shop, and good luck guessing which way this is going to go. Moutinho crunches into Rodri and sends Wolves on a five-on-three counter. Traore lashes wastefully over the bar. City go up the other end, De Bruyne slamming a shot straight at Rui Patricio from the edge of the box.

69 min: The corner’s worked long to Hoever on the left. His low cross is deflected off Laporte, towards the bottom left. Ederson reacts extremely well to change direction and gather, because that was squeaking into the corner.

68 min: City want to watch themselves here, mind you. Traore makes a bit of space for himself on the edge of the City box, and shoots. Dias does extremely well to arrive on the scene and block. But Wolves come again, Traore burning a path down the right and pearling a rising shot towards the top right. It’s deflected off Dias, and sails inches wide of goal for Wolves’ first corner of the match.

66 min: Nothing comes of the resulting corner. A couple of City players already wearing furrowed brows of frustration. A bit too early to get down on yourselves, chaps.

65 min: Silva threads a pass down the inside right and releases Jesus into the box. He’s one on one with the keeper, albeit facing a tight angle. His low drive is heading across Rui Patricio and into the bottom left, but the keeper sticks out a toe to deflect it out wide for a corner! What a save that was.

63 min: Jesus tries to respond immediately with a bustle down the right, but his powerful shot is always rising over the bar. All of a sudden, that 20-game winning run looks in jeopardy!

62 min: All that possession, and City have been punished by Wolves’ first foray into their area! That was Wolves first touch in the City box, and Ederson is still yet to make a save.

GOAL! Manchester City 1-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers (Coady 61)

Wolves are level, City are stunned! Moutinho curls towards the far post. Dias has dropped too deep, allowing Coady to power through and stoop to steer a header into the bottom right!

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Conor Coady ducks to head the ball ... Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Pool/Reuters
And the ball flies into the net. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/EPA
Coady celebrates scoring his side’s equaliser. Photograph: Paul Ellis/Pool/PA
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60 min: Wolves work their way back into the game, pinging some passes of their own hither and yon. Suddenly Neto springs in from the right and finds Moutinho, who is clattered from behind by Rodri. A free kick, 30 yards out, just to the right of centre.

58 min: City continue to hog possession, but they’re not pinging it around at quite the same speed of earlier.

55 min: De Bruyne romps down the left with a view to cutting back for Sterling, but runs the ball out of play for a goal kick. The overall quality of City’s play hasn’t been matched by their actions in the Wolves box.

54 min: Mahrez drops a shoulder to swan in from the right. He aims for the top left, but Rui Patricio parries with strong hands. City are asking questions again.

53 min: Rodri bulldozes his way down the inside left, all the way into the box. He shapes to shoot, but lumbers a little, and by the time he’s sorted himself out, Wolves can block.

51 min: Sterling backheels De Bruyne into space down the inside-left channel. That’s a lovely touch. De Bruyne enters the box and whistles a low diagonal shot towards the bottom right. Rui Patricio fingertips the ball inches wide of the post. Nothing comes of the resulting corner. So close to a second!

49 min: Silva surveys his options on the edge of the Wolves box on the right. Walker tears past him, begging to be sent clear on the overlap. Silva delays the pass, and by the time he plays it, Walker is miles off. City come again, Sterling, De Bruyne and Cancelo combining down the left, the latter crossing into an area bereft of City players. Wolves clear.

47 min: Traore runs down the middle of the park, De Bruyne yet again shipping possession uncharacteristically easily. He’s got Neto in acres on the left, and should release him on goal, with City light at the back, but opts for Semedo to the right instead. There’s nowhere for Semedo to go, and the chance to stun City early in the second half is spurned.

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Adama Traore surges forward. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Pool/Reuters
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HALF TIME: Manchester City 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Jesus skitters down the left. His shot is blocked and loops towards Bernardo, just by the right hand post. Bernardo heads down towards the corner. Rui Patricio saves, and Bernardo skies the rebound. And that’s the final act of a half which City have dominated, Wolves nearly passed into submission ... but there’s only one goal in it. Both managers, for different reasons, will go in feeling a strange mixture of contentment and frustration.

45 min: Closer than I thought. But Laporte was an inch or so ahead of Dendoncker, and it’s still 1-0.

44 min: Mahrez’s corner is half cleared. Semedo is robbed by Jesus, who slips the ball down the right for Mahrez. A cross towards the far post is helped on towards Laporte, who slams home. They celebrate, but surely that’s going to be ruled out for offside.

Manchester City’s Aymeric Laporte sticks the ball into the net ... Photograph: Paul Ellis/Pool/Reuters
Laporte celebrates (right) but his joy is short lived courtesy of VAR disallowing it. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Pool/Reuters
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41 min: Neto carelessly gives the ball away with a blind infield pass to Jesus, allowing the striker to scoot towards the Wolves box. The ball’s worked wide left to Sterling, whose shot is blocked and loops towards Jesus. He chests down for Mahrez. His shot is deflected out for a corner, which is claimed easily by Rui Patricio.

39 min: A rare period of possession for Wolves in the midfield. Hoever is once again waiting in acres on the right touchline, but by the time Moutinho eventually finds him, he’s surrounded and gives up possession. Wolves punished for being too ponderous.

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