Another Haaland Hat-trick as Man City silence Wolves – Manchester City welcomed a struggling Wolves side to the Etihad on Sunday as the Premier League’s reigning champions looked to better their chances of reclaiming their title.
The Citizens entered this one following a midweek scare with Tottenham, as despite being strong favourites to take the points they found themselves 2-0 down at halftime.
However, three goals in 18 minutes from Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, and Riyad Mahrez saw the hosts turn the game around, with Mahrez sealing the points with a goal in the final few minutes.
Pep Guardiola’s side were then back in action on Sunday, however this time they had proceedings go more as planned, running out 3-0 winners against Julen Lopetegui’s Wolves.
City came close a couple of times early on, forcing keeper Jose Sa into good saves to deny Haaland then Jack Grealish, but the Sky Blues kept pressing in the hunt to take a first-half lead.
Although Wolves defended well, City finally broke the deadlock as Haaland beat defender Nelson Semedo to a deliciously whipped ball into the back post before powering his header into the net.
City then doubled their lead shortly after the break, with Ruben Neves clipping Ilkay Gundogan in the box as Haaland dispatched the subsequent penalty.
From there, City looked comfortable with a 2-0 lead, but Sa then gifted Mahrez the ball on the edge of the box with the Algerian squaring it as Haaland tapped in for a hat-trick.
With that, the game was all but over at 3-0, with Guardiola soon withdrawing Haaland, De Bruyne and co as the hosts saw out an easy three points to keep pressure on league leaders Arsenal – who also enjoyed an important win on Sunday.
In truth, from a Wolves perspective, a 3-0 defeat at the Etihad is hardly embarrassing, and now Lopetegui will look to continue the decent start he’s made at Molineux as they continue in their relegation battle.
As for City, they remain five points adrift of league leaders Arsenal, however they can now shift their focus to next weekend’s FA Cup game as Premier League football takes a short break.
