After winning four consecutive English championships, Manchester City dreams of extending this series. At the start of the Premier League season, it confirmed its high aspirations and with 17 points after seven matches, it was second only to Liverpool (18 points). However, in the match against Wolverhampton it turned out to be too demanding.
Watch the video The moderator did not hide his disappointment. “There is great dissatisfaction”
Manchester City started the match against Wolverhampton badly. Wonderful answer from Josko Gvardiol
Already at the very beginning of the match, the favorites suffered a strong blow. Nelson Semedo ran down the right wing and delivered a very precise cross into the penalty area. Straight to the leg of Jorgen Strand Larsen, who had no problems beating Ederson.
City equalized before the break. Josko Gvardiol did this specifically, with a brilliant shot from outside the penalty area into Jose Sa’s goal window. The left-footed center back made an indefensible shot with his weaker right foot.
Pep Guardiola’s team had a huge advantage, as evidenced by the statistics. She had much more possession of the ball (around 80%), many more shots (including on target) and passed passes. Despite this, it was unable to break Wolverhampton’s defense. Until the fifth minute of added time came.
A controversial situation just before the end of the Manchester City – Wolverhampton match. VAR stepped in
City then had another corner kick, after which John Stones headed it on target. The joy among the English champions was enormous, but it was immediately dampened by the referee, who suggested that the goal should not be allowed. For what reason?
Well, at the moment of the shot, Bernardo Silva was standing near the Wolverhampton goalkeeper, who could have absorbed his compatriot’s attention. The referee received a signal from VAR and finally decided to run to the monitor to assess the situation himself. And ultimately he found that Silva did not prevent Sa from intervening. Which in practice meant a victory for City, as the hosts had too little time to make up for the loss.
8th round of the Premier League: Wolverhampton – Manchester City 1:2
- goals: Jorgen Strand Larsen 7′ – Josko Gvardiol 33′, John Stones 90+5′
In this way, Manchester City took advantage of Saturday’s failure of Arsenal (0:2 against Bournemouth) and, above all, became the new leader of the Premier League (it is also the only one undefeated). At least until the end of Sunday’s match between Liverpool and Chelsea (starting at 5:30 p.m. Polish time).
Manchester City: A Mixed Bag Against Wolverhampton
So, after four magnificent years of dominating the English Premier League, Manchester City’s aspirations took a little stumble against Wolverhampton. Or shall we say, it was less of a stumble and more of a “who put that bloody rock there?” moment. Starting the season with a bang—17 points after just seven matches—City was chomping at the bit, just one point behind Liverpool. But in a twist that would send shivers down any City fan’s spine, the matchup against Wolves became a real nail-biter.
As the match kicked off, it was all too clear that City was having a tough time getting out of first gear. Our dear friend Nelson Semedo, bless his heart, dashed down the right wing and sent a cross that seemed to be molded to perfection. And who was it aimed at? Jorgen Strand Larsen. The lad went on to score, redefining what we call “defensive miscalculation”—so much for those Academy training sessions, eh?
Manchester City Fights Back With Gvardiol’s Spark
Now hold onto your shorts, because City wasn’t about to roll over. They equalized just before the half thanks to a stunning effort from Josko Gvardiol, who completely ignored the conventional wisdom of “weaker foot” as he hammered one past the Wolves’ keeper with, believe it or not, his right foot. When you see a center back scoring like that, all you can think is, “Pep’s got them all training in the wrong roles!”
Despite City holding a crazy 80% possession and peppering the goal with shots like it was a 90s rave, they just couldn’t weave through the brick wall that was Wolverhampton’s defense. Leicester would be proud! Until, of course, the fifth minute of added time came sneaking up like a dodgy uncle at a family BBQ.
The VAR Saga: Drama Like a Soap Opera
Now let’s reference a verse in the book of football: “Where there’s controversy, there’s VAR.” Cue suspenseful music. After City had what they thought was the winning goal from John Stones, the party was rudely interrupted by that all-too-familiar whistle of discontent. The ref was called to check for a potential foul—was Bernardo Silva stealing the limelight by distracting Wolverhampton’s keeper? You wish! After a quick jog to the monitor, the ref decided Silva wasn’t a factor, and lo and behold, City found themselves celebrating once again! Just don’t ask the poor Wolves fans about it!
The Final Whistle: City Claims Victory
As the smoke cleared, the scoreboard read Wolverhampton 1, Manchester City 2. With goals from Strand Larsen, Gvardiol, and Stones, City took advantage of Arsenal’s misstep (thanks Bournemouth, you glorious bunch!). They stood tall as the new Premier League leaders with no losses to their name—yet. But let’s not fully dull the champagne just yet; Liverpool was still to play, anxiously waiting to throw a wrench in the gears.
- Goals: Jorgen Strand Larsen 7′ – Josko Gvardiol 33′, John Stones 90+5′
Naturally, the match was a rollercoaster that left fans gasping, laughing, and perhaps crying in some cases! Football, dear readers, is never as straightforward as we’d like to think, especially when VAR gets involved. So let’s raise a toast to the glorious chaos that is the Premier League—because who doesn’t love a bit of drama with their football? Cheers!
