Man City - Wolves: Make it 21-straight wins for Manchester City, who controlled Wolves and had the answer to a second-half setback in a 4-1 win at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.
A Leander Dendoncker own goal was offset by Conor Coady’s 61st-minute equalizer, the Wolves defender scoring with his side’s first shot attempt of the game.
STREAM MANCHESTER CITY – WOLVES FULL MATCH REPLAY
Gabriel Jesus cleaned up a rebound after Kyle Walker rocketed an 80th-minute cross into a crowded six-yard box, finally beating Rui Patricio and setting the stage for City’s 15th-consecutive win in the Premier League. He’d later score another after Riyad Mahrez made it 3-1.
The win also serves as a double over Wolves, who lost 3-1 at the Molineux Stadium to open the Premier League season.
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Rui Patricio was superb for Wolves in limiting the damage, and the visitors remain 12th with 34 points.
City now has a 15-point lead on the field with 11 matches left on its schedule. Manchester United (50 points) and Leicester City (49) each hold a match-in-hand on the leaders.
Three things we learned from Man City - Wolves
1. Have to take your chances versus City: Wolves will go down as one of a maximum of six teams to score in both of their matches against Man City, with Coady’s header joining Raul Jimenez’s opening day goal in a 3-1 loss at the Molineux to kickoff the season. West Ham and Liverpool did it, and Leeds, Leicester, and Chelsea could still join the list. Coady’s goal kicked off a five-minute run that includes all of Wolves chances, and Adama Traore could’ve put the visitors ahead in the 70th. Wolves ended the day with five attempts and only the goal was on target. The first attempt was Coady’s goal and the fifth came just before Jesus’ goal.
2. Disturbance in the force: Only one of City’s 16 previous conceded goals this Premier League season came via set piece and the leaders have thusfar failed to score via that mode of attack. They lead the opposition 39-9 in goals from open play, 8-2 on corner kicks, 1-0 on direct free kicks, and have scored four penalties to the opponents’ five.
3. Gabriel Jesus awake? Man City’s 23-year-old center forward scored his 10th goal of the season from in-tight, six of them coming in his last 10 matches dating back to Jan. 23 at Cheltenham Town in the FA Cup. He’s also scored versus Swans, Sheffield United, Borussia Monchengladbach, and Burnley. If he’s in-form and Sergio Aguero getting healthy, the quadruple threat feels... tripled?
Man of the Match: Gabriel Jesus
This would’ve been Rui Patricio had it even finished 2-1. The only reason Wolves were able to briefly level the score line despite not attempting a shot for the first hour-plus of action. He made six saves. Conor Coady also scored and nearly made a surprising block of Jesus’ winner from close range, making six clearances and passing the ball well. But Jesus is catching fire late in the season and could spur City into something extraterrestrial.
GABRIEL JESUS.
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) March 2, 2021
Has he won it for City? pic.twitter.com/xJnQUy0H7b
Man City - Wolves recap
City saw Rui Patricio stop a delightful Riyad Mahrez chipped cross from reaching Raheem Sterling near the back post in the 10th minute passed with the hosts on 84 percent possession.
It was 1-0 five minutes later that Mahrez’s stung cross for Sterling was put into the Wolves goal by Dendoncker, with Sterling right behind him for a sure goal.
City thought it was 2-0 in the 45th when Aymeric Laporte side-footed a Bernardo Silva-flocked cross to the back of the box, but VAR upheld the slim offside signaled by the assistant referee’s flag.
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Silva then forced a back post save from Patricio before his off-balance bid at the rebound went over the crossbar.
Patricio got just enough of a Kevin De Bruyne drive to keep it 1-0 in the 51st minute.
Wolves made it 1-1 with their first shot on target, as Coady got between a pair of City defenders and lowered his head to meet Joao Moutinho’s free kick and bounce it inside the near post.
De Bruyne lashed a shot that Patricio stooped to catch in the 71st, and Sterling used a backheel flick and just missed putting a Mahrez cross inside the far post in the 74th.
Sterling curled a shot off the outside of the post from 20 yards in the 77th. Would Wolves hold on?
No. Jesus deposited his rebound chance and Mahrez slashed a loose ball home just before stoppage, Jesus completing his brace with a rebound goal just before the final whistle overcame the linesman’s flag via VAR.