De Bruyne Steps Up to Propel Man City Beyond Wolves and Near Champions League Qualification

Manchester City secured their fourth consecutive Premier League victory, placing them in a strong position for next season’s UEFA Champions League (UCL) qualifications, with a narrow 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Etihad Stadium.

In the opening minutes, both sides had a go from distance, with Rúben Dias and Matheus Cunha missing the target within the first three minutes.

The Wolves had some excellent opportunities to take an early lead. Jean-Ricner Bellegarde managed to evade City’s offside trap but failed to connect with Marshall Munetsi, who was just a step away from receiving the ball.

Left wing-back Rayan Ait-Nouri then found himself in a promising position but hit the post with his left-footed strike, only for his follow-up effort with his right foot to be cleared off the line by Joško Gvardiol.

As the first half drew to a close, City began to assert their dominance, and Nico O’Reilly’s close-range attempt was tipped over the bar by Jose Sa moments before they took the lead.

Jeremy Doku provided a clever cut-back to Kevin De Bruyne, who calmly placed the ball into the bottom corner of the net – a goal celebrated fervently given De Bruyne’s impending departure at the end of the season.

Despite trailing, Wolves kept their spirits up and struck the post again early in the second half, this time through Cunha, who tested from a tight angle.

City regained control as Omar Marmoush and Mateo Kovacic both missed opportunities to extend their lead, failing to find the second goal that would have sealed the match.

Nonetheless, they emerged victorious, extending their home head-to-head winning streak against Wolves to five matches, while ending the visitors’ six-game winning run.

Catch up on the match here.