Manchester City 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers: Kevin de Bruyne stars as Man City beat in-form Wolves to edge ahead in Premier League top-five scrap

Kevin de Bruyne was the toast of the Etihad on Friday night as the long-serving Manchester City star scored the only goal of the game to earn his side a 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers and send his team up to third in the table.

Wolves came into the game as the in-form club in the Premier League, having won six on the spin to pull into mid-table safety, and the visitors created a number of good opportunities in the first half, hitting the post through Rayan Aït-Nouri and bungling a massive opportunity as a heavy final pass denied Marshall Munetsi an open goal.

But City looked dangerous going forward too, and it was a classic City goal that earned them the lead in the first half. Winning the ball in midfield, the hosts hit fast at a stretched Wolves defence, working the ball out to Doku on the left. And the winger did his job to perfection, getting on the outside of his man in the box and cutting the ball back into a dangerous area, picking out the waiting De Bruyne, who had ghosted forward after playing a part in the build-up.

There could not have been a more popular goalscorer inside the Etihad, with De Bruyne playing for what is likely to be the penultimate time at the ground before leaving the club in the summer.

And, with Wolves’ Matheus Cunha denied by the woodwork again in the second half, it was the Belgian’s goal that earned City all three points to send them up to third in the table and with an all-important four-point buffer ahead of sixth-placed Nottingham Forest in the race for Champions League qualification.

Kevin de Bruyne has not been shy about feeling that he can still perform at the highest level, despite the decision not to extend his contract, and the match-winner has been speaking about his display tonight:

"We found a way to win. Now we can relax and see what the others do. It's been a tough year, but we're finding a bit of a groove to find the games we need to win.

"A lot of team-mates have spoken to me, they're sad also that I'm leaving but sometimes that's how it goes in life. The way I'm performing and acting, is how everyone should be.

The race for the top five in the Premier League continues with the Saturday lunchtime game between Aston Villa and Fulham, and TNT Sports customers who want to watch that match, plus the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, Premiership Rugby, MotoGP, UFC, Boxing and WWE, are encouraged to download the discovery+ app.

This is a massive result in the context of the tussle for the remaining European qualification spots.

Wolves arrived at the Etihad as the in-form team in the division and they showed plenty of attacking threat, hitting the post twice and wasting some excellent chances. So, for Man City to get three points out of such a tricky fixture at this point of the campaign is huge.

The result lifts City up to third spot in the table with three games remaining, albeit having played a game more than all other teams in the mix. Guardiola’s side are now two points ahead of fourth-placed Newcastle and, more importantly, four points clear of Nottingham Forest in sixth spot, meaning that they have the upper hand in the battle for the Champions League qualification berths.

Interestingly, City could yet finish second in the league, with Arsenal now just three points above them in the table and with European football taking some of the Gunners’ focus.

City manage to get the ball clear as Wolves’ corner is whipped into a congested box, and that’s the last action of the game as the referee gives three sharp toots on his whistle. The Etihad Stadium celebrates a big win in the context of the top five race.

Wolves pour forward and they win a corner right at the death. The goalkeeper is coming up for it too…

Kovacic makes way in midfield, with Nico Gonzalez replacing him for the final couple of minutes.

Another dangerous attack ends with Guedes in space down the right. He cuts the ball back into the middle, but City scramble it clear.

There will be five minutes added on at the end of the game. Can Wolves snatch a result?

The home side are disrupting Wolves as much as possible, knowing that three points here could be critical in the push for Champions League qualification.

Cunha took a knock a couple of minutes back and is withdrawn, along with Semedo. Bueno and Huang come on.

McAtee, Lewis and Foden are introduced for City, with Marmoush, Gundogan and De Bruyne making way. The stadium stands to applaud De Bruyne, whose goal tonight separates the two teams as he heads towards the end of his time at the club.

The visitors nick the ball in midfield and break again, and only an important intervention by Akanji stops Wolves working a chance. It’s really nice football.

André makes way, and on comes Guedes as Wolves look for inspiration in the latter stages.

Wolves have given this game a good go, looking for a seventh straight Premier League victory. But time is ticking away and they are in need of a bit of inspiration if they are to taste defeat for the first time in two months.

Bernardo is down after being caught by Ait-Nouri, who was attempting to roll the ball around the City midfielder and overstepped down onto Bernardo’s shin. It’s unintentional but is very much the sort of thing that VAR could deem a red-card. The incident is looked at for some time back in Stockley Park, and the decision is that no further action is needed. You’ve seen that go the other way for sure.

Doku continues to be a big threat down the left, but he can’t quite find De Bruyne in the right way to set up a shot on the edge of the box. The Belgian keeps play going and it is worked to Marmoush, who cuts in from the right but shoots over when a pass may have been the better option.

Bellegarde and Doherty are withdrawn, with Wolves bringing Sarabia and Gomes on. That’s an attacking change and a signal of their intent.

City look to break at pace, but the final ball is cut out. There was threat there, and you fear for Wolves if they continue to commit so many numbers forward.

Wolves break again and there are appeals for a penalty as Munetsi and Gvardiol get in a tangle. VAR takes a look and says no penalty.