Erling Haaland’s fourth hat-trick in just 19 Premier League appearances propelled Manchester City to a 3-0 victory over Wolves, bringing them within two points of league leaders Arsenal. Pep Guardiola received the response he desired from the English champions after expressing concerns about their hunger to retain the title following their dramatic 4-2 win against Tottenham. In that match, City had to come back from a 2-0 deficit in the second half, but the outcome against Wolves was never in doubt once Haaland broke their resistance five minutes before halftime.
Although Haaland’s scoring rate has slowed slightly in recent weeks, his header from a Kevin De Bruyne cross brought him level with the 23 league goals that earned Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min a share of the Golden Boot last season. The 22-year-old then increased his tally to 30 goals in all competitions by converting a penalty early in the second half, awarded after Ilkay Gundogan was fouled by Ruben Neves. Just four minutes later, Wolves inadvertently assisted Haaland in achieving his hat-trick, as goalkeeper Jose Sa misplayed the ball to Riyad Mahrez, who selflessly squared it for Haaland to tap into an empty net.
Guardiola seized the opportunity to rest his star striker, substituting Haaland for Julian Alvarez shortly after the hour mark, much to Wolves’ relief. Despite this, City could have inflicted further damage on Julen Lopetegui’s side. Mahrez was flagged offside after a clever run following a through ball from De Bruyne, and Gundogan missed a golden opportunity by heading over the bar. Nevertheless, three goals proved sufficient to secure the three points, putting pressure on Arsenal ahead of their match against Manchester United later that day.
Wolves suffered just their second league defeat since Lopetegui took charge, leaving them outside the relegation zone only on goal difference. Leeds managed to edge one point clear of the bottom three but remain without a league win since November after a 0-0 draw at home against Brentford. David Raya made a crucial save against the in-form Wilfried Gnonto, helping Brentford secure a point that lifted them above Liverpool into eighth place.
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