Grealish’s first-minute goal set the tone as Manchester City brushed aside Wolves at Molineux. City are now at the top of the Premier League table with 17 points in seven games.
Manchester City needed just 55 seconds to take the lead at Molineux as Jack Grealish scored his first goal of the season. Erling Haaland and Phil Foden contributed with a goal each to give City a strong finish.
The first minute saw Phil Foden backheel the ball to Kevin De Bruyne down the right flank. The Belgian then placed a perfect low cross for Grealish to poke in from close range.
It was a much-needed goal for the Englishman who was making just his second league appearance this season. Grealish has often been criticized for not being able to justify his £100 million ($139 million) move from Aston Villa last year.
Haaland doubled the lead for Manchester City in the 16th minute with his first goal from outside the box for his new club. This was his 11th goal for City in the Premier League.
Manchester City dominated the match to its entirety as Bruno Lage’s side was reduced to 10-men in the 33rd minute. A terrible challenge from defender Nathan Collins, who launched himself studs-first into the midriff of Jack Grealish, saw him get an inevitable red card.
At the 69th minute mark, Foden scored from close range to give City a three-goal lead and end the game on a high. Haaland made an excellent run to pass on the ball to De Bruyne, whose low cross was found by Foden in the box.
Manchester City and Wolves observe a minute’s silence
The Premier League resumed this weekend with Wolverhampton Wanderers hosting current champions Manchester City. Those at the Molineux observed a minute’s silence in honour of the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Pep Guardiola and Bruno Lage also joined the players and officials at the centre of the pitch.
Steve Bull and Mike Summerbee, legends of Wolves and City, respectively, were present to lay wreaths on the pitch before kick-off.
Top-flight clubs in England resumed their activities after last weekend’s games were called-off following the Queen’s death. After the minute’s silence, a singer performed the national anthem with supporters joining in a rendition of ‘God Save the King’.
Both sets of fans applauded at the 70th minute to mark the number of years the Queen was on the throne.
Haaland’s new record
Erling Haaland has now become the first player in Premier League history to score in his first four away games. The Norwegian striker has been spitting fire since making a move from Dortmund. He already has 14 goals in all competitions for Manchester City in the current season.
It was also Haaland’s 100th goal in his last 99 matches in all competitions since his move to Dortmund from RB Salzburg in 2020.
He was Premier League’s Player of the Month for August and is continuing his hunger for goals in September. His £51 million ($58 million) move from Borussia Dortmund has already started to appear like a bargain.
He has now scored in seven successive games for City and has really impressed Pep Guardiola with his goal-scoring skills.
Grealish answers his critics
Jack Grealish has been receiving a lot of criticism because of not living up to the expectations. The huge amount that Manchester City paid for Grealish’s transfer from Aston Villa attracted a lot of eyes. He’s yet to show up his full potential as he has been inconsistent since the signing.
“It was nice to get off the mark this season and get the three points at a difficult place to come against a top team,” Grealish told BT Sport. “This Wolves team is so underrated, and they showed that in the second half, so it is a great result for us. I should be scoring goals and getting more assists. I’m always going to have people talking about me with the amount I was bought for. But even at Aston Villa, I did not score as much as I should have. It is something I want to add to my game.”
City are currently unbeaten in a record 22 away league matches since losing to Tottenham Hotspur in their opening game last season. They’ll be pushing to win the league title again for the fifth time in six seasons.
Manchester City are two points clear of Arsenal, who would try to regain the top spot with a win against Brentford on Sunday.
