Seeking to reclaim the Premier League title in 2025/26, Manchester City began their campaign with a very convincing triumph over Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux.
Erling Haaland broke the deadlock in the 34th minute, and Tijjani Reijnders opened his City account three minutes later. Haaland was on target again just after the hour mark, and the final score was the work of Rayan Cherki, another newcomer for City, in the 81st.
Teams
Wolves boss Vitor Pereira was without forwards Fabio Silva (groin) and Enso Gonzalez (ACL) for the season opener.
Matt Doherty, Emmanuel Agbadou and Toti Gomes formed a defensive trio ahead of goalkeeper Jose Sa. Joao Gomes and Andre paired up in the middle of the park, flanked by Ki-Jana Hoever and David Moller Wolfe. In attack, striker Jorgen Strand Larsen had the support of Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Marshall Munetsi.
Meanwhile, City manager Pep Guardiola had a much more extensive list of absent players to deal with. Goalkeeper Ederson Moraes (illness), defender Josko Gvardiol (knock), midfielders Rodri (ACL setback), Mateo Kovacic, Kalvin Phillips (both calf), and Claudio Echeverri (ankle), as well as forwards Phil Foden (ankle) and Savinho (knock), all missed out.
With Ederson out of contention, club returnee James Trafford stood between the posts. Centre-backs Ruben Dias and John Stones had former Wolves man Rayan Ait-Nouri on the left and Rico Lewis on the right. Reijnders started alongside Nico Gonzalez in the middle of the park, while the trio of Jeremy Doku, Bernardo Silva and Oscar Bobb played behind Haaland up front.
Matheus Nunes also played against his former club, but only as a substitute, having replaced Lewis after 65 minutes.
Brief recap
Manchester City took time to settle but soon seized control with two quickfire first-half goals. Reijnders, tall and rangy, sparked the opener with a driving run past Joao Gomes before clipping a pass into Lewis, wanted by Nottingham Forest, who squared for Haaland to finish from close range with just his sixth touch, keeping up his flawless opening-day scoring record.
Moments later, Emmanuel Agbadou’s misplaced pass towards Gomes was intercepted by surprise starter Oscar Bobb, who surged forward on a three-on-two break. Bobb fed Reijnders, and the Dutchman coolly slotted low beyond Jose Sa to double the lead.
The timing was cruel for Wolves, who had just begun to grow into the contest. Marshall Munetsi’s header was chalked off for offside, John Stones blocked brilliantly from Strand Larsen, and the striker then side-footed wide before testing debutant James Trafford, who looked assured throughout.
Any hopes of a fightback were quashed after the hour when Reijnders collected Trafford’s long kick, exchanged passes with Bobb, and set up Haaland. The Norwegian hammered in his second with a fierce low strike past Sa.
The final flourish came from Rayan Cherki, who turns 22 on Sunday. He backheeled Nico Gonzalez’s pass to deceive Gomes, played a sharp one-two with Nico O’Reilly, and drilled a precise finish into the bottom corner to seal a commanding City win.
Diogo Jota honored
It was a very emotional afternoon at Molineux, as Wolves honoured their former forward Diogo Jota with a poignant pre-match tribute. Fifteen minutes before kick-off, the stadium fell silent as supporters fixed their eyes on the big screens, where a montage of his career highlights was shown. A vast tifo depicting Jota in old gold stretched proudly across the South Bank, while Sting’s *”Fields of Gold”, his favourite song, echoed around the ground.
The tribute carried special weight for those who had shared the pitch and life with him. Goalkeeper Jose Sa and defender Matt Doherty both counted Jota as a teammate, the former at international level, while Rui Fuste, Wolves’s long-serving head of medical, had been present at both Jota’s wedding and, heartbreakingly, his funeral just 13 days later.
Reactions
Pep Guardiola was careful to temper expectations after the win. “Last season we were back when we won 2-0 at Chelsea [on the opening day] and look what happened afterwards,” the City boss reflected. “We won today, that’s all. If you told me we were back in the second half, I’d say no.”
City were ruthlessly efficient, converting all four of their shots on target into goals, each crafted with quality—even Haaland’s first, a simple finish, came at the end of a dynamic Reijnders surge that hinted at what may become a regular feature. The team carried the familiar swagger of their peak years, leaving the injured Rodri and Phil Foden, watching from the stands, to wonder how they might slot back in.
Wolves manager Pereira, meanwhile, acknowledged the setback but remained upbeat. “I didn’t lose my smile because each mistake we committed, they punished us with a goal,” he said. “I will take good things from the game.”
Looking ahead
There isn’t much time (or arguably cause) to dwell on this defeat for too long for Pereira. He must now look to his team’s clash with Bournemouth next week and prepare them for the trip to the south coast in search for the first points of the campaign.
Meanwhile, City have responded well to Liverpool’s triumph over Bournemouth on Friday, but Guardiola will have a lot to ponder as he prepares to welcome Thomas Frank, for the first time as the Tottenham Hotspur boss, to the Etihad. Spurs will have been buoyed by their excellent showing in the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, which they eventually lost to the Champions League holders on penalties.
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