Manchester City announced their Premier League title ambitions emphatically as Erling Haaland scored twice in a dominant 4-0 victory at Wolves on Saturday, kicking off their campaign in style.
After securing four consecutive league titles, City endured a trophyless season last year and finished a distant third, an unusual setback for Pep Guardiola’s side. However, new signings Tijjani Reijnders, the standout performer at Molineux, and Rayan Cherki also found the net, offering renewed hope that City are poised to return to the summit.
Guardiola made a bold decision amid ongoing uncertainty over the goalkeeping position. James Trafford made his senior debut after returning to City from Burnley for a second spell. Ederson was absent from the traveling squad amid reports he is close to a move to Galatasaray, with speculation growing that City may target Paris Saint-Germain’s Gianluigi Donnarumma as a replacement.
Wolves, tipped by many as relegation candidates following the departure of talisman Matheus Cunha to Manchester United, struggled to make the most of an initially shaky City defense. Marshall Munetsi’s powerful header found the bottom corner but was ruled out for offside.
The match then swung decisively in City’s favor, with two goals in three minutes showcasing the creativity and attacking threat from midfield. Reijnders, the £46.5 million signing from AC Milan, weaved through Wolves’ midfield before threading a delicate pass to Rico Lewis, whose cutback set up Haaland for a simple finish at the back post.
Shortly after, Oscar Bobb found Reijnders, who curled a precise left-footed shot into the net to double City’s lead.
Though Trafford wasn’t tested often, he displayed impressive composure and skill with the ball at his feet, starting the move for City’s third goal. He cushioned a long pass to Reijnders, who combined with Bobb before delivering a cutback for Haaland to finish clinically.
Haaland was substituted 17 minutes from time, denied a hat-trick, but Cherki quickly made his mark. The French forward struck a low, powerful shot into the bottom corner from outside the box just eight minutes after coming on.
City now face a challenging run, with Tottenham, Brighton, Arsenal, and Manchester United looming in their next four league fixtures. But the commanding nature of this opening victory reminded fans of the City teams that dominated in recent years—and will surely unsettle their title rivals.
AFP
