Manchester City 2–0 Wolves: Control Restored as City Reignite Their Title Pursuit

Manchester City entered Saturday’s contest knowing that, with the title race tightening, style mattered almost as much as substance. Wolverhampton Wanderers arrived at the Etihad with belief of their own, unbeaten in recent weeks and growing in resilience, but this felt like a fixture where narratives could quickly be rewritten. This was less about panic and more about response.

City pinned Wolves back early, ruthless in their use of the ball and sharp in their movement. Matheus Nunes set the tempo, carving Wolves open with a wonderfully floated delivery into the box.

Omar Marmoush, drifting intelligently between defenders, found the space and turned the ball home to set the tone. Calm. Precise. Relentless.

The fluidity in attack was striking. Marmoush and Rayan Cherki constantly drifted into pockets, pulling Wolves out of shape and stitching play together with ease. Marmoush starting ahead of Erling Haaland proved a masterstroke, injecting mobility and unpredictability into an attack that had been crying out for exactly that. City looked liberated.

A controversial VAR decision briefly threatened to stall momentum, with a penalty ruled out after Santiago Mosquera was adjudged to have handled the ball. City barely blinked. On the stroke of half-time, Bernardo Silva slipped a pass through the eye of a needle, finding Antoine Semenyo, who calmly slotted into the bottom-left corner. Ruthless. Potent. It felt like City rediscovering muscle memory.

Wolves were largely forced into survival mode. Pinned deep, defending in numbers, chasing shadows for long spells.

Yet when they did break, there was danger. Mateus Mané showed his usual fearlessness, attempting to exploit space in behind. Each time, though, he was met by the composure and authority of Marc Guéhi. On debut, Guéhi offered City exactly what they have been craving: control and reassurance at the back.

The second half followed a similar pattern. City controlled possession with assurance, comfortable in their dominance. Wolves responded by pressing higher, growing bolder in their approach and attempting to capitalise on rare lapses. Set pieces and counter-attacks forced moments of vigilance, with Gianluigi Donnarumma producing a key save to preserve City’s grip on the contest.

The introduction of Jørgen Strand Larsen added a new wrinkle. His physical presence posed fresh questions, demanding City manage second balls and aerial threats. Wolves pushed. They believed. They asked questions.

But football rarely rewards courage alone. It rewards ruthlessness, and City had it in abundance. Whenever Wolves overcommitted, City punished the space with intelligence rather than urgency. The game was managed, not chased. Possession recycled. Tempo controlled. This was authority football.

Semenyo embodied that confidence. Outstanding in one-v-one situations, he repeatedly shifted the ball out of his feet and drove at defenders. A profile City have sorely missed. He could easily have added a second, denied only by the crossbar after another incisive moment.

By full-time, the pattern was clear. Wolves showed fight and intent, but City never truly loosened their grip.

This was not a statement of flair, but of clarity. Not chaos, but control. A reminder, more than a recovery, that Manchester City remain fully capable of dictating the terms of a title race.