Wolves 2 (Dias OG 11, Hwang 66) Man City 1 (Alvarez 58)
Wolves stunned reigning champions Manchester City to bring their Premier League season to life, as Hee Chan Hwang fired home the winner in a lively Molineux battle.
For the second week running, Wolves had Pedro Neto brilliance to thank for breaking the deadlock as his flying charge down the right forced an early own goal out of Ruben Dias. Wolves’ commitment made them good value for the lead, but Julian Alvarez’s brilliant free-kick had the visitors level just before the hour.
However, rather than fall away, Wolves showed character in abundance to bounce back and win the game. Eight minutes after being pegged back, Nelson Semedo charged down the right and his cross was eventually smashed home by Hee Chan Hwang – his fifth goal of the season but by far the most important – Wolves were up and running at Molineux.
There was little surprise inside Molineux as City enjoyed much of the ball early on, but speculative efforts from Manuel Akanji and Jeremy Doku, which didn’t test Jose Sa, were all they had to show for their control. Instead, it was Wolves, with their first attack, who broke the deadlock on 11 minutes.
Once again, it was pure brilliance from Neto, who like last week at Luton, picked the ball up from Joao Gomes in a non-threatening area and put the afterburners on. The wide man’s pace took him past the challenge of Nathan Ake and into the penalty area, and his ball for Matheus Cunha was diverted past his own goalkeeper by Dias to ignite Molineux.
The Old Gold faithful were enjoying themselves in the opening half, with their side frustrating the visitors and remaining a threat on the break, particularly through the lively Neto on the right, and the additional central defender removing the space for City and Haaland
It was Doku who was City’s main threat, up against Semedo, but twice he was off target with efforts from distance. While Matheus Nunes, for whom the home fans make their feelings clear before his half time withdrawal, glanced into the hands of Sa, who also denied Dias late in the half.
Hwang did have an opportunity to make Wolves’ position even more comfortable moments before that Dias header, after Cunha had sent him through, but after thinking he’s turned Akanji into a shooting position, the City defender recovered to crucially block and keep the score to one.
Half-time | Wolves 1-0 Man City
The opening half mirrored a fortnight ago, when Wolves were leading Liverpool, but the hosts were dominated from the restart and quickly lost their grim on the occasion, but on this occasion they were improved and unfortunate to be pegged back. Oscar Bobb was fouled on the edge of the box and Alvarez expertly whipped the free-kick into the top corner, beyond the stretch of Sa.
The game was alive, but Wolves were absolutely in it this time. Their cause was helped by a brilliant piece of defending from Craig Dawson, who intelligently pulled on to the line from a City free-kick and cleared Foden’s effort off the line, with Sa beaten. Then, less than a minute later, we had our next twist.
Semedo was the creator, flying down the right and his low cross caused carnage in the City box and after Hwang’s initial effort was blocked, Cunha had the composure to tee up the South Korean a second time and he made no mistake on this occasion, hammering home via Kyle Walker to lift the lid off the South Bank.
The closing stages all eyes were on City, but Wolves were holding strong, like Sa who grasped on to Walker’s powerful drive with eight minutes remaining. The goalkeeper, fresh from signing his new contract, brought the latest loud cheer out of Molineux in the fourth minute of added time when he gratefully collected Doku’s deflected drive, likewise when Neto won a throw in on halfway even later in the day.
The full-time whistle brought joyous scenes of celebration. Wolves had a Molineux win, and it was thoroughly deserved.
Full-time | Wolves 2-1 Man City
Wolves | Sa, Semedo, Kilman, Dawson, Toti, Ait-Nouri (Doherty 75), Lemina, Gomes (Traore 67), Neto, Hwang (Jonny 86), Cunha (Silva 86).
Unused subs | Bentley, S Bueno, Hodge, Sarabia, Kalajdzic.
Man City | Ederson, Walker, Dias, Akanji, Ake (Grealish 80), Kovacic (Phillips 65), Nunes (Bobb 45), Doku, Foden, Alvarez, Haaland.
Unused subs | Ortega, Carson, Gomez, Gvardiol, Lewis.
