Manchester City laid down an early marker in the Premier League title race with a dominant 4-0 win at Wolves on Saturday, as Erling Haaland scored twice to kickstart Pep Guardiola’s quest to reclaim the crown.
After four straight league triumphs, City endured a rare trophyless campaign last season, finishing third, but with new arrivals shining on debut, Guardiola’s refreshed side looked far closer to their relentless best.
Reijnders stars on debut
City’s £46.5m summer signing Tijjani Reijnders was the standout performer at Molineux, pulling the strings in midfield, scoring once and assisting another.
He was joined on the scoresheet by fellow newcomer Rayan Cherki, while Haaland’s familiar ruthlessness sealed the points.
Wolves, tipped by many to struggle after losing striker Matheus Cunha to Manchester United, had early hope when Marshall Munetsi headed into the net, only to be flagged offside, and City quickly punished the let-off with two goals in three minutes.
First, Reijnders danced through midfield and slipped a pass to Rico Lewis, whose cut-back was tapped in by Haaland, Moments later, Oscar Bobb found Reijnders, who lashed in a precise left-foot finish from the edge of the box.
Trafford’s debut
Amid uncertainty over City’s goalkeeping situation, James Trafford was handed his senior debut after rejoining from Burnley.
With Ederson reportedly closing in on a move to Galatasaray and Gianluigi Donnarumma linked as a possible replacement, all eyes were on Trafford, who impressed with his distribution and composure.
The 21-year-old even sparked City’s third goal, cushioning a long pass into Reijnders, who combined with Bobb before setting up Haaland for his second of the afternoon.
Cherki completes rout
Haaland was denied the chance of a hat-trick when substituted with 17 minutes left, but replacement Cherki wasted no time, drilling in from distance to round off a statement victory.
City now face a testing run — Tottenham, Brighton, Arsenal, and Manchester United in their next four league games — but this emphatic display had all the hallmarks of Guardiola’s serial winners and will have struck an ominous note for their rivals.