Haaland Fires Manchester City to Opening-Day Rout at Wolves
Manchester City made a powerful statement of intent in their bid to reclaim the Premier League title as Erling Haaland scored twice in a commanding 4-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Saturday.
The champions of the past four years endured a disappointing 2024/25 campaign, finishing third and ending the season without silverware for the first time in eight years. But Pep Guardiola’s new-look side showed glimpses of their old dominance, with summer signings Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki also on the scoresheet.
Reijnders, a standout performer on his league debut, opened the scoring before Haaland struck twice in quick succession to put City firmly in control. Wolves briefly thought they had a lifeline when Marshall Munetsi’s header found the net, but the effort was ruled out for offside.
Guardiola, facing uncertainty over the club’s goalkeeping situation, handed James Trafford his first senior appearance after his return from Burnley.
Regular No. 1 Ederson was absent amid reports of an imminent move to Galatasaray, while City are reportedly weighing up a potential bid for Paris Saint-Germain’s Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Haaland, denied the chance of a hat-trick after being substituted 17 minutes from time, watched as replacement Cherki sealed the emphatic win with a superb strike from outside the box.
For Wolves, the loss highlighted the challenges ahead after the departure of star forward Matheus Cunha to Manchester United. Vítor Pereira’s men, already tipped as relegation candidates, were punished for not capitalising on City’s nervy start.
The result gives Guardiola confidence that his side are ready to mount a serious title charge once again, though sterner challenges lie ahead with Tottenham, Brighton, Arsenal, and Manchester United next on the fixture list.
The ruthless manner of victory, however, evoked memories of City at their peak a warning shot to their Premier League rivals that Guardiola’s men may be back in business.
