Manchester City have moved to within two points of Premier League leaders Arsenal after beating Wolves 3-0 on Sunday afternoon.
Erling Haaland scored another hat-trick at the Etihad to put the hosts in a commanding position just before the hour mark. Wolves offered little going forward and were relieved when Pep Guardiola brought off Haaland shortly after his third goal.
Arsenal have two games in hand on City and will re-establish their five-point advantage if they beat Manchester United at the Emirates on Sunday evening. Guardiola and his victorious players will be keeping an eye on how their neighbours get on in London.
Here are the main talking points from the Etihad...
Guardiola sticks by 'Little Lahm'
City's 2-1 defeat to Man Utd earlier this month was a big blow to their Premier League title hopes. They bounced back by beating Tottenham 4-2 in their last match - albeit not convincingly - with Rico Lewis selected at right-back ahead of Kyle Walker.
At the time, it seemed as if Guardiola was rotating his fabulous squad. Yet Lewis' selection against Wolves suggests he is now ahead of Walker in the pecking order. The 18-year-old, who was called 'little Philipp Lahm' by Guardiola, has a bright future ahead of him.
Coote's tricky day at the office
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There is no doubting Lewis' talent, but he was fortunate not to be sent off during the opening stages of the game. Hwang Hee-chan caught the teenager in possession and the two of them stumbled to the ground - denying the Wolves striker a clear run on goal.
Instead of penalising Lewis, referee David Coote gave a free kick the other way. New Wolves signing Mario Lemina could not believe the decision and was booked for his protests. As was manager Julen Lopetegui, which angered Wolves fans even further.
Wolves believe they are not getting the rub of the green at the moment. They were denied a famous FA Cup victory against Liverpool earlier this month when two controversial offside decisions went against them. It is easy to see why Lopetegui gets so animated.
That being said, City were equally as annoyed when Jack Grealish was caught by Nathan Collins in the box on the stroke of half-time. Coote gave a goal kick and Darren England, the VAR official, agreed with the decision. It was a close call.
Timid Wolves benefit City
Guardiola claimed he did not recognise his team after their 4-2 win against Tottenham - insisting they have no "passion" or "desire". The opening stages of the game suggested as much, as it took 15 minutes for Haaland to test Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa.
The visitors adopted a conservative approach to the game, which had its pros and cos. Although Wolves frustrated City early on, they offered little going forward and it was only a matter of time before the deadlock was broken by the Premier League's leading scorer.
It was a typical Haaland goal, too. Kevin De Bruyne, recalled to the side after starting the Tottenham game on the bench, hung the ball up in the air for the big Norwegian to attack. He headed home for his 23rd Premier League goal. It was all quite simple, in truth.
Lopetegui's changes in vain
Lopetegui hooked Hwang, Adama Traore and Raul Jimenez at the break for Joao Moutinho, Matheus Cunha and Pablo Sarabia - with the latter making his Premier League debut. Guardiola also made a switch, as Nathan Ake came on to replace Lewis.
Yet Lopetegui's changes made little difference, as City needed just a few minutes to double their advantage. Coote, having rejected a good penalty appeal at the end of the first half, pointed to the spot after Ruben Neves tripped Ilkay Gundogan in the box.
VAR official England had a quick look at the decision but did not overturn it, allowing Haaland to smash home another goal. Lopetegui was now fearing a big defeat.
Haaland finishes the job
City's victory was all but confirmed in the 54th minute thanks to a howler from Sa. The goalkeeper's sloppy pass was intercepted by Mahrez, who gave the ball to Haaland to do the rest. It was his 31st goal of the season and FOURTH hat-trick in the Premier League.
That allowed Guardiola to take Haaland off and give him a rest ahead of City's FA Cup tie against Arsenal on Friday. The prolific striker was not missed, as the hosts had the ball in the net for a fourth time just after the hour. VAR confirmed Mahrez was just offside.
After that, the game went flat. Daniel Podence came off the bench and forced Ederson into a rare save, while Julian Alvarez - who came on for Haaland - did the same to Sa. Gundogan then missed a sitter, but it did not really matter in the grand scheme of things.
All eyes are now on the Emirates...
