Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction
The 2023/24 Premier League season is under way and you can follow every game and every goal right here with The Independent.
This year sees Manchester City try to defend their crown and claim a historic fourth title in succession. Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering City, who also won the Champions League and FA Cup last season, will have to see off Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and the rest to claim an unprecedented sixth league title in seven years.
Meanwhile Luton Town are making their first appearance in the Premier League, having risen from non-league in an incredible decade of progress. They followed Championship winners Burnley and second-placed Sheffield United in earning promotion to the top flight.
Follow the latest action from the Premier League below.
Manchester City FC 5 - 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers FC
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
19:33
Haaland scored four goals to help City to an easy 5-1 victory over Wolves at the Etihad Stadium to go within a point of Premier League leaders Arsenal. The Citizens stopped the Old Gold from having a shot in a dominant first half, where the hosts created an xG of 2.12. They broke the deadlock inside 10 minutes through Haaland, who sent Sa the wrong way with his penalty after Ait-Nouri bundled into Gvardiol inside the box. The Norwegian forward got onto the end of Rodri's cross to score his second with a towering header before completing his first-half hat-trick. Haaland won a penalty after a VAR check decided he had been fouled by Semedo, with the striker beating Sa with a powerful shot into the bottom-left corner. Hwang netted a consolation for Wolves after Ederson failed to deal with a cross, but City scored less than a minute later. Foden's switch found Haaland, who finished the chance emphatically before Alvarez added a late fifth. Next up, City continue their push for a fourth straight league title when they travel to Fulham, with Wolves hosting Crystal Palace. That's all for today, goodbye.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
19:28
FULL-TIME: MANCHESTER CITY 5-1 WOLVES
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
19:27
Doku has been really positive for City since his introduction. He keeps looking to move forward with intent and has shown some nice touches in tight spaces to help the hosts retain possession.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
19:26
CHANCE! Kovacic drives races forward with possession, getting to the edge of the box before poking a pass down the right to Doku. The Belgian winger cuts a low cross into Nunes, but he directs a tame right-footed strike straight at Sa.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
19:25
There will be four minutes of additional time. Enough time for one more goal for City?
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
19:22
CHANCE! Doku receives the ball on the halfway line and displays some tricky feet to dance past several tackles on his way to the edge of the box. However, his finish didn’t match the run, with his tame effort going straight at Sa.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
19:20
Substitution Hee-Chan Hwang Tawanda Blessing Chirewa
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
19:19
Assist Rodrigo Hernández Cascante
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
19:18
City started to show signs of sloppiness in the last 10 minutes, which might have made an impact in their changes. Guardiola has changed the entire attack.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
19:18
Goal Julián Álvarez
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
19:16
Haaland has scored four goals for City and is now being replaced by Alvarez, who will be desperate to score against a vulnerable Wolves defence.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
19:13
Substitution Bernardo Mota Veiga de Carvalho e Silva Jérémy Baffour Doku
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
19:13
CHANCE! Rodri gives possession to Wolves, with Ait-Nouri coming forward down the left before whipping a cross towards the back post. Sarabia bursts towards the ball but cannot get there.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
19:13
Substitution Kevin De Bruyne Matheus Luiz Nunes
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
19:12
Foden has been brilliant in the second half, this time releasing De Bruyne down the right. City's playmaker then whips a cross towards Haaland, but the ball is behind the forward, who cannot turn his header towards the goal.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
19:09
Substitution Matheus Santos Carneiro da Cunha Pablo Sarabia García
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
19:09
City’s De Bruyne has started six Premier League matches against Wolves and has both scored five goals and assisted five goals against them, although nine of those involvements came at Molineux (five goals and four assists). He is one of the few players not to be directly involved in a City goal so far, but there is still plenty of time for the Belgian to make an impact.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
19:08
City keep the pressure on and are looking for their fifth goal. The hosts work the ball into Rodri inside the box, who flicks it through to Kovacic, but his shot with the outside of his right boot is pushed away from the bottom-left corner by Sa.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
19:08
De Bruyne gets to the byline on the left and chips a cross over to Silva, who decides against shooting. City keep possession and find Foden in the middle, who has two shots from close range blocked in quick succession.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
19:04
Substitution Hugo Bueno López Santiago Ignacio Bueno Sciutto
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
19:04
Foden shows some quick thinking to flick the ball past Semedo on the left. He bursts down the wing and whips a cross towards Haaland in the middle, but Toti gets a slight touch on it to take it away from the forward.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
19:03
City make a change to their defence. Ake is given a deserved rest and is being replaced by Stones.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
19:03
City have kept possession well for the last two minutes and are pushing it around well outside Wolves' box. The visitors are not putting them under any pressure but will be focusing on not conceding again.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:59
Gomes is the latest player to go into the book for a late slide tackle on Ake, who had got past the midfielder.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:57
Haaland lays the ball into Foden before racing behind Wolves' defence. The England international looks to complete the one-two, but Toti gets an important touch to take it away from him.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:57
Yellow Card Boubacar Traoré
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:57
Wolves keep going long through Sa, but City have done well to release the pressure at all opportunities. Gomes goes racing behind the defence, but Gvardiol chests it down brilliantly before turning the other way to trick the midfielder.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:54
SAVE! Haaland goes close to scoring again! Gvardiol breaks through the middle and rolls a throughball down the right side of the box to Haaland, who thunders a right-footed effort on target. However, Sa reads it and pushes his shot over the bar.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:52
De Bruyne spins in possession and rolls a clever throughball into Haaland, who pushes the ball onto his left foot outside the box before seeing his strike deflect wide off Kilman.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:51
Only Gabriel Jesus (53rd minute v Watford in April 2022) has scored four goals in a Premier League match earlier than Haaland has today (54th minute).
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:51
Kovacic gives away a free-kick in a good position for Wolves, but Gomes' right-footed cross from the left goes straight out for a goal-kick.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:47
Goal Erling Braut Haaland
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:46
Goal Hee-Chan Hwang
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:46
Ait-Nouri steals possession off Ake in a promising area and pokes the ball through to Hwang, but the South Korean was well offside. He should’ve let Ait-Nouri dribble forward as there was space ahead of him.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:44
SAVE! De Bruyne looks to roll a throughball down the left to Rodri, who gets the better of Ait-Nouri before playing a cutback towards Foden. The England international aims for the bottom-left corner with a first-time finish, but Sa gets down to push it away.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:44
City have been calm in possession in the early exchanges of the second half and are looking to get the likes of Foden and De Bruyne involved.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:41
City are unbeaten in their last 62 Premier League matches when leading at half-time (winning 55 and drawing seven) dating back to May 18 2021, against Brighton (losing 3-2). Will the hosts look to score more goals or rest players with early substitutions in the second half?
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:40
City get the ball rolling again. They have already scored three goals but are still seven behind Arsenal on goal difference, which could prove to be important.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:38
Lemina is on a yellow card and is being replaced before the start by Bellegarde.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:32
City were by far the better side in the first half and created an xG of 2.12 with their seven shots, hitting the target five times. Haaland was brilliant, but City were in control due to Rodri, who registered an assist and won six of his eight duels in a dominant midfield performance. As for Wolves, they failed to have a shot before the break and looked lost up front. Traore and Gomes often won possession. However, when the Old Gold broke forward, Cunha and Hwang looked isolated in the attack.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:28
Haaland scored a first-half hat-trick to give City a comfortable 3-0 lead over Wolves heading into half-time at the Etihad Stadium. The hosts had two penalties before the break and broke the deadlock from the spot after Ait-Nouri barged into Gvardiol. Haaland took responsibility and rolled his left-footed effort down the left side of the goal. De Bruyne lashed an effort off target, and Haaland had a header from close range saved by Sa before he scored his second. Rodri lofted a cross towards the Norway international at the back post, with the forward heading his shot across the goal and into the bottom-right corner. The Citizens were then given their second penalty just before the break after a VAR check, with Semedo going through the back of Haaland. The former Borussia Dortmund man went to the left again, beating Sa with the speed of his strike.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:23
HALF-TIME: MANCHESTER CITY 3-0 WOLVES
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:23
De Bruyne is over the following corner on the left, and he finds Rodri, who heads it back into a dangerous area. It might take a touch off Ake on the way through to Gvardiol, who shoots his effort straight at Sa.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:22
Haaland and Gvardiol combine with some neat passes next to the left corner flag before the Croatian wins a free-kick off Semedo, who is having a poor end to the first half. De Bruyne curls his right-footed cross towards the near post, but Cunha heads it behind.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:20
There was originally four minutes of additional time, but the VAR check means that there will be time on top of that.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:19
Semedo is shown a yellow card for his foul on Haaland inside the box.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:19
Penalty Goal Erling Braut Haaland
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:17
PENALTY TO CITY! The hosts are given their second penalty after a VAR check. Semedo barges through the back of Haaland as the City man looks to shoot inside the box and gives away a penalty. Chance for a hat-trick for Haaland.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:16
PENALTY SHOUT! Haaland gets behind Semedo and races down the left side of the box. He looks to get a shot away but is tripped by the defender and wants a penalty. VAR are having a look.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:15
De Bruyne controls the ball brilliantly in the midfield and drives forward with possession in Wolves half. He has options on either side and looks to slot it into Foden, but he cannot make the most of the chance. Gvardiol was behind the England international and was probably a better option as he was free.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:12
Traore is careless in possession and gifts it to De Bruyne, who collects the ball on the right and looks to roll a pass across to Rodri. However, it is too short for the Spaniard, with Traore making up for his mistake with a good interception.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:12
Lemina fouls Foden in the midfield and goes into the book. It is a harsh booking for the former Southampton man in what has been a frustrating half for the Old Gold.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:10
De Bruyne gets down the right and wins a corner off Toti. Foden then curls the cross from the left into the box, with Kilman heading it away. The play then stops after Akanji stays down in the middle, but he will be able to continue.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:08
City are unbeaten in their last 19 Premier League games (winning 15 and drawing four). They’ve already had four runs of 20 or more without defeat in the competition (three under Guardiola) and could be the second side to do so five times after Manchester United (seven).
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:06
Assist Rodrigo Hernández Cascante
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:05
City have a free-kick just outside the left corner of the box after Gomes makes a late slide tackle on Kovacic. De Bruyne lifts it towards the back post, with Sa getting his gloves on the ball before Akanji clatters into the goalkeeper.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:03
Wolves have shown glimpses of promise, but they haven't had a shot. When the Old Gold win possession and drive forward, Cunha and Hwang often look completely outnumbered by City's defence.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
18:02
CHANCE! Cunha has possession on the edge of City's box and rolls a pass out to Hwang on the left, with the South Korean immediately looking to return the ball to the forward with a low cross. However, Gvardiol gets in ahead of him to slide it away.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:59
Rodri unlocks De Bruyne in the midfield, with the Belgian turning in possession before laying a pass over to Haaland on the left. The forward is forced to step back to collect it before looking for Foden, but he cannot find the Englishman.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:57
Gomes evades a couple of tackles in the midfield and rolls a pass down the left to Bueno, who combines with Cunha. The Brazilian's tame cross is cleared back out to Bueno, who keeps the attack alive on the byline but lifts it straight to Ederson.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:56
Ait-Nouri comes inside from the right and looks to thread a throughball down the right to Hwang, who seems to get the better of Ake, but the defender gets a toe on the ball to poke it back to Ederson, who clears it away.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:54
Traore wins possession in the midfield and gives Wolves a chance to break down the left through Cunha, who bursts up the pitch. He moves inside and gets past a crowd, skipping over Kovacic before stepping on Rodri, conceding a free-kick.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:52
Rodri drifts over to the right and wins a free-kick after being pushed to the floor by Cunha, who gets the wrong side of the midfielder. De Bruyne and Foden are over it, with the latter of the two whipping his left-footed effort across the goal and just wide of the left post.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:51
City are in control and are making plenty of chances. This time, Silva gets onto the end of a throughball down the right and looks to shift possession onto his left foot, but Wolves clear the danger away before the flag goes up for offside.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:49
SAVE! Silva and Rodri combine in Wolves defensive third before the Portugal international lifts a left-footed cross towards the back post. Haaland gets above his marker and heads his effort on target, but Sa gets down to his left to push his shot away.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:47
WIDE! Silva is seeing plenty of the ball down the right, this time waiting for support before rolling a pass across to De Bruyne. His first cross is poor and defects straight back to him before the midfielder fires a first-time effort wide of the right post.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:46
Kovacic looks to help City double their lead as he races down the left side of the box, but the ball gets away from him. Kilman steps across to make a tackle before pulling away.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:45
City are unbeaten in their last 31 games in all competitions (winning 25 and drawing six). The last Premier League team to have a longer run were Manchester United, who went 33 games without defeat between December and May in the 1998-99 campaign. Wolves were frustrating them with a disciplined defensive shape, but Haaland has opened the scoring with his 22nd league goal of the season.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:43
GOALLLLL! HAALAND SCORES! 1-0 CITY! The hosts take an early lead! Haaland fires his low left-footed penalty down the left side of the goal, with Sa diving the other way.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:42
PENALTY TO CITY! Silva races down the right to get to the byline and flashes the ball across to Gvardiol, who gets a shot away before getting fouled by Ait-Nouri, who goes in late. It’s a harsh penalty, but the defender made clear contact.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:40
OVER! Rodri switches possession over to Silva on the right, who cuts inside and looks for Haaland with a cross. Kilman heads it away as far as Rodri, who blasts a first-time shot over the bar from outside the box.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:38
Ait-Nouri has possession on the right and plays a pass inside to Cunha, who drives forward with possession. He ignores Bueno and goes alone down the wing, but Silva tracks him all the way and wins a throw-in.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:35
Wolves gift possession to City, with Haaland flicking the ball to De Bruyne in the box. The Belgian tries to get a shot away, but he cannot get his feet sorted out, with Semedo getting across quickly to clear the danger.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:35
Unsurprisingly, City have had almost all of the early possession. Wolves are playing with five defenders when they don’t have the ball and are looking to frustrate the hosts with a rigid shape.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:33
Wolves will want to recreate their win 2-1 over City at Molineux earlier in the season, but the Old Gold will have to do it without some key players. Craig Dawson kept Haaland quiet in the reverse fixture, but he is out through injury, with Pedro Neto also out. Without O'Neil in the dugout, Wolves will need a near-perfect performance to get anything.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:32
City look to break the deadlock in the opening seconds after Silva slides the ball into De Bruyne. He attempts to find Haaland on his right, but his pass is intercepted.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:31
Wolves get this Premier League clash under way. City will go one point behind leaders Arsenal with a victory.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:30
City have won seven of their last eight home Premier League matches against Wolves, losing the other 2-0 in October 2019. Both teams are on the pitch and are ready to get started.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:20
Wolves make one alteration to the team that beat Luton 2-1, with Bueno starting ahead of Hugo Bueno on the right. The Old Gold also welcome Bellegarde and Santiago Bueno back to the squad.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:15
City make three changes to the side that beat Forest 2-0 in their previous Premier League outing. The hosts are handed a huge boost, with Foden back from illness and Haaland fit enough to start. Doku and Alvarez drop onto the bench, with Kovacic coming in for Grealish.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:15
WOLVES SUBS: Matt Doherty, Santiago Bueno, Pablo Sarabia, Dan Bentley, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Enso Gonzalez, Wesley Okoduwa, Tawanda Chirewa, Nathan Fraser.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:10
WOLVES (3-5-1-1): Jose Sa; Rayan Ait-Nouri, Maximilian Kilman, Toti Gomes; Nelson Semedo, Joao Gomes, Mario Lemina, Boubacar Traore, Hugo Bueno; Matheus Cunha; Hwang Hee-Chan.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:10
MANCHESTER CITY SUBS: Ruben Dias, John Stones, Jack Grealish, Jeremy Doku, Stefan Ortega, Julian Alvarez, Sergio Gomez, Matheus Nunes, Rico Lewis.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:10
MANCHESTER CITY (4-1-4-1): Ederson; Kyle Walker, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, Josko Gvardiol; Rodri; Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Mateo Kovacic, Phil Foden; Erling Haaland.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:10
Wolves ended their seven-game winless run in all competitions with a 2-1 win over Luton Town in their last match. Hwang Hee-chan scored his first goal since December to give Gary O'Neil's men the lead before Toti Gomes doubled their lead just five minutes after the restart. Carlton Morris netted a consolation for the Hatters, but the Old Gold held onto the victory that pushed them up to 11th in the table. Wolves will be looking to sneak into the top half with three games left and are only three points behind West Ham, but are without manager O'Neil today, with the 40-year-old receiving a one-match ban for his conduct after their 2-1 loss to the Hammers. A win might seem unlikely for the visitors, but they beat the Premier League champions at Molineux earlier this season.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:00
City are pushing for their fourth successive Premier League title and are four points behind Arsenal, who beat Bournemouth 3-0 earlier today. The Citizens are unbeaten in their previous 19 top-flight outings since a 1-0 loss to Aston Villa in December and collected a win against a tough Nottingham Forest side in their last outing. Pep Guardiola's men were second best for most of the contest, creating an xG (expected goals) of 0.87 compared to the Tricky Trees' 1.93, but goals either side of half-time from Josko Gvardiol and Erling Haaland helped them to a 2-0 triumph. City are in terrific scoring form, netting 19 goals in their previous five Premier League matches, and will be looking to put the pressure on the Gunners at the top of the table.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
17:00
Hello and welcome to live commentary for the Premier League clash between Manchester City and Wolves at the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
16:30
Follow all the goals and latest action from the Premier League here with The Independent. Team news and line-ups coming up shortly…
