3 days ago
11
Manchester City have a first Premier League win in four games and Wolves a first defeat after going five unbeaten in all competitions after a fixture in which the referee, Farai Hallam, on his top-flight debut, dared to stick with his decision not to award a penalty despite being sent for a pitchside review by the video assistant referee.
That was for a Yerson Mosquera handball and infuriated Pep Guardiola, though after their dire recent form a first three points since 27 December is what matters.
Wolves remain bottom but Rob Edwards is definitely turning his team around, their second-half display sparked by the manager’s changes at the break. It is tempting to wonder if Wolves would be a yawning 14 points from safety if he had begun the campaign in charge, which augurs rosily for the club when they are surely relegated.
First-half goals from Omar Marmoush and the excellent Antoine Semenyo sealed the win and with Marc Guéhi helping City to a clean sheet on his debut, Guardiola will be content.
Pre-kick-off the news was the manager’s dropping of Erling Haaland, for a first time due to form, and Phil Foden, the playmaker having started the last 19 league games. Haaland had started all 22 league games this term but had not scored from open play in his last seven outings. He and Foden were particularly disappointing in the Manchester United and Bodo/Glimt defeats.
So, too, was Rodri but perhaps because his understudy Nico González remained injured he lined up with Marmoush and Bernardo Silva, Haaland and Foden’s respective replacements, amid five changes from the loss in the Arctic Circle.
Max Alleyne, Rico Lewis and Rayan Aït-Nouri were also demoted, as in came Guéhi at centre-back and Matheus Nunes at right-back, with Semenyo reinstated after not being eligible in the Champions League.
City’s opener came when Nunes whipped the ball in from the right and Marmoush’s dart allowed him to stab home for a first league strike since his last league start on 31 August.
In their unbeaten sequence Wolves scored five goals in four league games, after only nine in the preceding 19. The 18-year-old Mateus Mané was a key factor in the uplift and his curled shot was the visitors’ sole effort before City’s penalty claim on 33 minutes.
Abdukodir Khusanov’s flighted ball was controlled by Marmoush who, when turning Mosquera, flicked the ball on to the defender’s left elbow. The No 7’s subsequent shot hit José Sá’s left post then VAR ordered Hallam to the screen. While Mosquera’s arm was away from his body he was running so the referee may have ruled this to be a natural position.
So, a rarity – not overturning the original decision post-watching the replays: a brave decision that moved a disgusted Guardiola to moan to the fourth official, Ian Hussin, who also received a patronising pat on his back.
The Catalan was happier in first-half added time when Silva slipped through Semenyo. The Ghanaian jinked inside Ladislav Krejci and he finished for a third goal in four matches since joining the club.
Now came Edwards’ substitutions for the second period: Jørgen Strand Larsen entered for Jhon Arias and Rodrigo Gomes for Jackson Tchatchoua. This meant Larsen joined Hwang Hee-chan in attack, Gomes became the right wingback, and Mané was pushed back into midfield where he troubled City.
Two of Mané’s crosses – defended by Silva, then Nunes – turned City, the second forcing a corner. The youngster took this, from the left, João Gomes headed skywards and Gianluigi Donnarumma tipped over, the City goalkeeper’s first save.
Foden entered for the ineffective Tijjani Reijnders on the hour to a cheer yet Wolves remained the better team, with Mané at the hub – a free-kick on the right was cleared by a flailing Donnarumma, his surge along the left drew a Nunes foul, then some trickery left Silva trailing.
And after Semenyo clipped the post yet more Mané trickery along the left precipitated a scramble.
But City kept Wolves out and at the final whistle a pleased Guardiola offered a sarcastic word or three to Hallam on shaking the referee’s hand.
