After Pep Guardiola dropped Erling Haaland and Phil Foden, Manchester City enjoyed a first Premier League win in four games. It handed Wolves a first defeat in six and was notable for the referee, Farai Hallam, on his top-flight debut, daring to stick with his decision not to award a penalty after being sent by his video assistant for a pitchside review.
That was for a Yerson Mosquera handball and it infuriated Guardiola, though after City’s dire recent form a first three points since 27 December is what matters. The manager reiterated a long-held belief that City can receive unfair officiating and pointed to his 11 injured players as being needed to mitigate against this.
He said: “I would love to have the players to fight against that – despite these decisions, in nine years it is six Premier Leagues that we have won. It is the first time when a referee goes to the TV and does not overrule the position of the arms.
“I am pretty sure tomorrow Howard Webb [PGMO’s chief refereeing operator] is going to appear in the media and explain. The referee makes his debut now everyone will know him.”
Guardiola offered the example of Diogo Dalot’s stamp on Jérémy Doku in last Saturday’s 2-0 loss at Manchester United as another poor decision. While the defender was booked at Old Trafford, Guardiola believed he should have been sent off and cited the leg injury the Belgian suffered. “That’s why Jérémy could not play in Norway against Bodø [where City lost 3-1],” he said.
The disputed penalty shout came when Abdukodir Khusanov’s flighted pass was controlled by Omar Marmoush who, turning Mosquera, flicked the ball on to the defender’s left elbow. Marmoush’s subsequent shot hit José Sá’s left post and then VAR ordered Hallam to the screen. While Mosquera’s arm was away from his body he was running so the referee may have ruled this to be a natural position.
This was Rob Edwards’s view. “His arm was in a natural position and it was really close,” said the Wolves head coach. “Fair play to Farai in his first game to make that call.”
Of Guardiola’s changes, five from the Bodø/Glimt loss, Edwards said: “A few rumours came out he might be making a few and even when the teamsheet came out you don’t know where they are all going to play.”
Edwards is definitely turning his team around, their second-half display sparked by his changes at the break, but the first-half goals from Marmoush and the excellent Antoine Semenyo sealed the win.
Pre-kick-off the news was the dropping of Haaland, for a first time due to form, and Foden, the playmaker having started the past 19 league games. Haaland had been in the XI for all 22 league games, but had not scored from open play in his past seven outings. Marmoush and Bernardo Silva were Haaland and Foden’s replacements respectively, and Max Alleyne, Rico Lewis and Rayan Aït-Nouri were also demoted. In came Marc Guéhi at centre-back and Matheus Nunes at right-back, with Semenyo reinstated after not being eligible for the Champions League.
City’s opener came when Nunes whipped the ball in from the right and Marmoush stabbed home for a first league goal since his last league start on 31 August.
In their unbeaten sequence Wolves scored five goals in four league games, after nine in the preceding 19. The 18-year-old Mateus Mané was a key factor in the uplift and his curled shot was ttheir sole effort before the penalty claim on 33 minutes. After this came City’s second: Silva slipped through Semenyo who jinked inside Ladislav Krejci and finished for a third goal in four matches since joining from Bournemouth.
Now came Edwards’s substitutions for the second period: Jørgen Strand Larsen entered for Jhon Arias and Rodrigo Gomes for Jackson Tchatchoua. This meant Larsen joined Hwang Hee-chan in attack, Gomes became the right wing-back and Mané was pushed back into midfield, where he troubled City.
Two of Mané’s crosses – defended by Silva, then Nunes – turned City, the second forcing a corner. The youngster took this, João Gomes headed skywards and Gianluigi Donnarumma tipped over, the City goalkeeper’s first save.
Wolves remain 14 points from safety, but Edwards’s mid-season appointment appears shrewd.
