Kevin De Bruyne used his penultimate home game for Manchester City to remind them of his timeless brilliance as he scored the only goal in a crucial 1-0 win over in-form Wolves.
The midfielder put City in front in the 35th minute after a nervy first-half display from Pep Guardiola's side and the Cityzens held on, despite the visitors hitting the woodwork in each half, to record a fourth consecutive Premier League win and keep them on track for a top-five finish and Champions League qualification.
Wolves turned up in the midst of a club-record run of six consecutive Premier League wins and crafted the first clear-cut chance when Matheus Cunha slid to win the ball and played a through ball to Jean-Ricner Bellegarde between the lines. The Frenchman could have shot at goal but instead tried to set up Marshall Munetsi, badly over-hitting the pass and forcing his team-mate to slide in while failing to connect with the ball.
The visitors had a double chance a few minutes later when Rayan Ait-Nouri hit the post then saw his rebounded shot cleared off the line by Josko Gvardiol. Wolves were made to pay for their wastefulness when De Bruyne broke the deadlock, finishing first-time after a mazy run down the left from Jeremy Doku.
The excellent Cunha struck the woodwork in the second half and Wolves kept pushing for an equaliser right until the last kick of the game but City held firm to move up to third in the table with three games left for them to play. Erling Haaland made the bench for the first time since injuring his ankle in March against Bournemouth in the FA Cup but he only got to warm up and was not one of the five substitutes Guardiola introduced.
GOAL rates Man City's players from the Etihad Stadium...
