Whether Manchester City restore their powers as the Premier League’s formidable force after a summer of change remains one of the great unknowns but for Pep Guardiola the early evidence in victory at Wolves was supremely encouraging.
The substitute Rayan Cherki, a summer signing from Lyon, capped the scoring within eight minutes of entering and Tijjani Reijnders, another one of those pinpointed to drive the close-season makeover, was peerless on his league debut; the Netherlands midfielder was the architect for Erling Haaland’s double, which bookended Reijnders’s first City goal, a feathery first-time finish. “City are back,” crooned the away support and, by the end, it was hard to argue otherwise.
After a stodgy start, City established a comfortable buffer after registering two goals inside three first-half minutes. Reijnders is tall and lean and his powerful run was the catalyst for the opener, sidestepping the tigerish João Gomes before scooping a smart ball into Rico Lewis, the full-back wanted by Nottingham Forest, who instantly squared for Haaland.
City’s No 9 could not miss from a couple of yards out, applying the finish with just his sixth touch. It was a slick move but the second stemmed from a loose Emmanuel Agbadou pass, meant for João Gomes. Oscar Bobb pinched possession and suddenly it was three v two, Haaland to his right, Reijnders to his left. Bobb slipped in Reijnders and he caressed the ball low into the bottom corner past the Wolves goalkeeper José Sá.
