Manchester City 1–0 Wolves: Kevin De Bruyne’s Strike Helps the Cityzens Storm to Third Place in Premier League Table

Manchester City picked up a gritty 1-0 win over Wolves in their Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester on Friday, 2 May 2025. A solitary goal from Kevin de Bruyne in the first half helped the Cityzens fight their way to earn three points and move into the top-3 of the Premier League.

Manchester City dominated the possession from the get-go, which allowed the visitors to create things from the breaks. Matheus Nunes was able to power a shot just over the bar in the 2nd minute to threaten the hosts from the get-go. Matheus Nunes was able to get a shot on target in the 12th minute, which was denied by Jose Sa. The first big chance of the game, however, came at the 22nd minute as Jean-Ricner Bellegarde was played through on goal, only for him to fluff his lines in the final third.

The visitors had another huge chance to take the lead in the 26th minute as Rayan Ait-Nouri was played through into the box. His first shot struck the post before the rebound was also blocked off the line, frustrating the visitors. Nico O’Reilly was able to sky a shot over the bar in the 35th minute, with the hosts creating more pressure in the final third. Manchester City finally took the lead in the lead in the 35th minute, with Jeremy Doku teeing in a pass for Kevin de Bruyne to slot a shot into the back of the net from close range.

Manchester City were able to dominate possession from the beginning of the second half, maintaining most of the possession from the get-go. Wolves were able to hit the post once again in the 56th minute after an effort from Matheus Cunha struck the post, frustrating the visitors. Manchester City looked focused on retaining possession control for the majority of the second half, and even had a penalty call denied in the 72nd minute after Bernardo Silva went down inside the box.

Wolves, to their credit, kept pushing for an equalizer to get something out of the game until the very end. Despite pushing for a goal, they were unable to breach the sturdy Manchester City backline, who were able to keep their clean sheet and grind out a big win that helps Manchester City move into the Premier League top-3 with 64 points from 35 games. Here are the Manchester City vs Wolves Player Ratings.

Manchester City Player Ratings

GK – Ederson – 6.5/10

The 31-year-old goalkeeper was not tested all that much by the opposition forwards. He didn’t have any major saves to make and was sharp in moving the ball forward.

RB – Matheus Nunes – 7/10

The versatile Portuguese player was proactive all through the game, covering quite a lot of ground to trouble the visitors. He made three tackles and also won seven duels to neutralize the visitors’ threat on his side.

CB – Ruben Dias – 6.5/10

Dias was able to maintain a pretty sturdy defensive line for the majority of the game. He made a few vital challenges, recovering possession in some key moments to help his side stay on top in the game.

CB – Josko Gvardiol – 7.5/10

The Croatian defender was really alert all game long. Not only was he sharp in moving the ball forward, but Gvardiol also excelled with his key interceptions and defensive recoveries in key moments. He also made a huge goal-saving block to save his side in the first half.

LB – Nico O’Reilly – 5.5/10

The young full-back was promising in moving the ball forward, but struggled in his half. He lost more duels than he won, being caught in awkward positions in counterattacks, and was fortunate not to be involved in a bad moment for a goal.

CM – Ilkay Gundogan – 6/10

The veteran midfielder was pretty accurate in moving the ball forward throughout his outing in the game. He was efficient with his passing, but struggled with his defensive actions and in a few counter-attacking moves.

CM – Mateo Kovacic – 7/10

Kovacic was sharp in moving the ball around, being accurate with moving the ball forward. He also won several key duels and was vital in helping his side dominate possession, tricking the Wolves players with his clever passes.

RW – Bernardo Silva – 7.5/10

The Portuguese midfielder was quite an efficient player in the opposition half for his side, creating quite a few prominent chances with his impressive final passes for his side. He also worked hard defensively, winning quite a few key defensive duels and regaining possession to help his side stay on top of the game.

AM – Kevin de Bruyne – 8/10

De Bruyne was able to ensure that his experience levels counted in this game. He helped his side dominate the majority of the possession in moving the ball along in key spaces. He was able to get in the right place to slot home the winner with an efficient close-range finish.

LW – Jeremy Doku – 7.5/10

Doku was a real tormenting factor with his menacing presence in the opposition half. He was able to create several key dribbles, getting past players to set up some big chances for his side. Was able to find De Bruyne in the right place for his goal.

CF – Omar Marmoush – 4.5/10

Marmoush had a tough time dealing with so many Wolves defenders around him. He had a few shot attempts on goal, but neither was able to threaten the opposition goalkeeper. Unable to create much either.

SUB – Manuel Akanji – 7/10

The defender was able to help his side keep the clean sheet by producing a sturdy effort in the second half, winning quite a few key duels.

SUB – Rico Lewis – 6/10

Brought a lot of energy into his side in the late stages, helping them get beyond the finish line in style.

SUB – James McAtee – 6/10

McAtee was able to increase the energy levels for his side in the dying stages and also helped out defensively.

SUB – Phil Foden – N/R

Couldn’t get to the end of any major creative chances, but did his best to help out defensively.

SUB – Nico Gonzalez – N/R

Helped his side get the job done.

Manager – Pep Guardiola – 7/10

The Spanish manager was able to ensure that his side dominated the game from the get-go, and his patient approach paid off at the end of the game. His decision to give De Bruyne a free role allowed the midfielder to key into an important role in his goal. His game management in the second half was admirable, as the hosts were able to see out the result and able to get the job done.

Wolves Player Ratings

GK – Jose Sa – 6/10

The Portuguese goalkeeper was only able to make one prominent save in the game. He was caught in an awkward position for De Bruyne’s goal and wasn’t the most convincing with his passing either.

CB – Matt Doherty – 4.5/10

Doherty had his share of problems against Doku & co, not being able to do much to stop the Belgians’ movement. He made a few nice clearances, but was caught in an awkward position for De Bruyne’s goal.

CB – Emmanuel Agbadou – 6.5/10

Agbadou was able to come up with some vital clearances, but he wasn’t able to set up a stern enough defensive line to keep the hosts quiet or preserve a clean sheet for his side.

CB – Toti Gomes – 7/10

The Portuguese defender was quite proactive on the defensive side, making many key clearances and winning quite a few important duels for his side as well. Held his own to deny the hosts much movement down the right side.

RWB – Nelson Semedo – 6/10

Semedo was quite involved on the right side, working hard to keep out several Manchester City attacks. He made three tackles and won quite a few key duels, but wasn’t able to neutralize Doku’s threat.

CM – Joao Gomes – 7/10

The Brazilian midfielder was energetic in the midfield area, covering a lot of ground to help them hold their own against the giants. He made four tackles and won eight duels, doing it all defensively, but not being able to do that much on the offensive side.

CM – Andre – 6.5/10

Like his midfield partner, Andre was active on his half in making a few key tackles and winning back possession in quite a few key areas as well. He was efficient with his passing but unable to create much.

LWB – Rayan Ait-Nouri – 7/10

Ait-Nouri was a menacing figure with his threatening movement on the left side, troubling the Cityzens with his forward runs. He was able to strike the post in the first half and came close to scoring. Worked hard defensively to stop the Cityzens’ movement down his side.

RAM – Marshall Munetsi – 5/10

Munetsi could hardly do much in the attacking front, being unable to create anything proficient or test the Manchester City backline. He helped out defensively, but was quiet on the frontline.

LAM – Jean-Ricner Bellegarde – 5/10

The 26-year-old was energetic on his side, winning quite a few key duels and making some key tackles. But he failed to impress on the attacking end, not being able to create much or test Ederson.

CF – Matheus Nunes – 4.5/10

Nunez had a lot of hype coming into the game, but he struggled to prove his worth. He was unable to get to the end of anything major, and despite his promising link-up play, he was unable to threaten the hosts. Struck the post in the second half, summing up his frustrating outing.

SUB – Pablo Sarabia – 6/10

Sarabia increased the energy levels for his side in the second half, but wasn’t able to apply that special finishing touch in any moves.

SUB – Rodrigo Gomes – 5.5/10

Gomes added a bit more fight for the Wolves side with his defensive qualities, but wasn’t able to help his side in the attacking moves.

SUB – Goncalo Guedes – 5/10

Guedes couldn’t help his side create much in the final third or add any major goal-scoring threat.

SUB – Santiago Bueno – N/R

Ensured that his side didn’t concede any more goals in the final bits.

SUB – Hee-Chang Hwang – N/R

The proactive forward was unable to get to the end of any major chances late on.

Manager – Vitor Pereira – 5/10

The Portuguese manager was potentially too regressive with his side’s approach for this game. Wolves created a few decent moves on the counterattacks, but they were just too passive for the majority of the game. His substitutions didn’t work out either, and his side’s attacking moves were mostly quite predictable.

Sportsdunia’s Man of the Match for this game goes to Kevin de Bruyne.