Wolves 0 Man City 3: Erling Haaland nets again as Nathan Collins sees red for wild kung-fu kick on Jack Grealish
MANCHESTER CITY went top of the Premier League with a victory that was comfortable for everyone but Jack Grealish.
The England star was the victim of a horrible two-footed, stomach-high lunge by Wolves centre back Nathan Collins that left the home side to play with 10 men for almost an hour.
But the game was pretty much over by the time of the attempted appendectomy.
Grealish put the visitors ahead after 55 seconds and Erling Haaland grabbed his 14th goal of the season in the 16th minute.
It was also Haaland’s 11th Premier League strike in seven appearances, moving him ahead of Timo Wener, who managed 10 on the 56 occasions that he wore Chelsea blue.
Woeful Wolves had barely tried stopping City by conventional means, and Collins’ assault on Grealish summed up their horrible first half.
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Bruno Lage’s men were better in the second period – they had to be – but Phil Foden made it three from close range.
You had barely finished thinking, “If Wolves can keep it tight early on, they could cause City problems”, when Grealish scored.
Kevin De Bruyne swept the ball out to Phil Foden and ran on to collect the cute flick. The cross was just about perfect and Grealish got ahead of Jonny to prod into the net via Jose Sa’s left-hand post.
Goncalo Guedes soon forced Ederson into a near-post save but in the 16th minute it was 2-0.
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One pass by Bernardo Silva undid Wolves, Haaland ran on and used Max Kilman as a screen before hitting a bobbling shot that Sa was slow to react to, and could not stop.
It felt like game over. And when Collins was sent off for his kung-fu lunge on Grealish in the 33rd minute, it was.
The home side’s only sights of goal were free kicks wasted by Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves.
The latter, moved to centre back after Collin’s dismissal, released Daniel Podence with a raking pass but the forward sent his shot wide.
A few home fans shouted abuse at half-time and their side came out with more spirit and purpose.
But Matheus Nunes fluffed his shot after good work by Rayan Ait-Nouri.
Sa kept out a Haaland shot and Kilman deflected Foden’s follow-up.
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But City soon scored their third. Haaland played in De Bruyne down the right and Foden tucked the cross into the far corner from close range.
It was all too easy. But Wolves had made it hard for themselves from minute one, then Collins made it impossible.