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Manchester City kept the pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal by defeating Wolves 3-0 thanks to an Erling Haaland hat-trick
Pep Guardiola needed a response from his Manchester City team after his scathing remarks in mid-week regarding their recent performances.
Coming into the match on a five-match winning streak against Wolves, City always looked like extending it. The hosts had 92% possession midway through the first half, but the visitors were defending bravely.
Several flashpoints resulted in a flurry of yellow cards for the visitors before both Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish forced saves out of Jose Sa. A well-organised Wolves backline was keeping the hosts at bay, but with halftime looming, City’s patient probing paid dividends
De Bruyne and Haaland connect again
Kevin De Bruyne received a Riyad Mahrez pass and dinked a perfect cross in for Erling Haaland to head the hosts into the lead.
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Nathan Collins and Grealish were centre stage as the half concluded, first when the Wolves man seemingly fouled Grealish in the box, before clearing the former Aston Villa captain’s effort off the line.
Having shown little attacking intent, Wolves needed a second-half response, yet their hopes of a comeback were dead and buried within minutes of the restart.
Ruben Neves clipped İlkay Gundogan in the box, giving referee David Coote no choice but to point to the spot. Haaland stepped up to convert, and within five minutes his fourth Manchester City hat-trick was complete. A shocking error from Jose Sa gifted the ball to Riyad Mahrez, who kept his composure to present Haaland with a simple finish.
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City have now lost just one of their last 17 PL home games as they chase Mikel Arteta’s table-topping Gunners. As for Wolves, defeat leaves them teetering above the drop zone with their concerning attacking output yet to be remedied.
Player of the match - Erling Haaland
The big Norwegian scored his fourth Premier League hat-trick of the season, passing last season’s top goal scoring mark in late January. Haaland had some sloppy touches, as he tends to do, but he was perfect when it mattered.
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