De Bruyne sinks Wolves to help Manchester City close in on top-five finish

Manchester City and Kevin De Bruyne know how to time a run perfectly, even if their long-lasting relationship is coming to an end. The Belgian’s dart into the box and clinical finish secured a fourth Premier League win in a row, at the expense of Wolves, to put City into third place and a step closer to qualifying for the Champions League.

City will be as pleased with the hard-fought victory, inspired by a humorous Neil Warnock team talk at training on Thursday, as Wolves are disappointed to leave with nothing. They rattled the woodwork twice and were the more dangerous team inside the box but when it comes to critical moments, there are few better in world football than De Bruyne as his experience outweighs his physical decline.

“I am pretty sure it is not easy for him but the goal was massively important for us, it lifted our spirits,” Pep Guardiola said. “He does not have to prove anything, I know his quality, his level.”

What Warnock made of City playing without a conventional striker is up for debate. De Bruyne, on his penultimate home game for City, was given freedom to roam in the final third as the hosts looked to dominate possession. Ilkay Gündogan and the Belgian rotated who was down the middle, while Omar Marmoush and Jérémy Doku attacked the flanks, looking to get in behind Wolves’ wing-banks, while creating space in the middle.

With Vítor Pereira in charge, Wolves are very different from the brittle team that started the season under Gary O’Neil. They had won six in a row and were not intimidated by City, keeping things tight and every man working for everyone else in gold to limit the hosts all over the pitch.

Wolves also have pace going forward and should have taken the lead when Matheus Cunha slipped a pass through a flat-footed City defence for Jean-Ricner Bellegarde to run on to. The winger raced into the box where he was joined by Marshall Munetsi and, having drawn out Ederson, he needed only to lay it to the Zimbabwean but overhit the pass, leaving the midfielder desperately stretching to reach it as the ball dribbled out for a goal kick.

View image in fullscreen Kevin De Bruyne tucks home the winner for Manchester City. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA

City were living dangerously, unable to deal with Wolves’ fast break. Rayan Aït-Nouri had two chances to open the scoring, first hitting a post and then Josko Gvardiol on the line with the rebound. City were enjoying the possession but Wolves looked the more dangerous, although Nico O’Reilly eventually tested José á after the half-hour mark with a rising shot.

De Bruyne made Wolves pay and there was never a more popular scorer. Gündogan played in Doku, who showed off his quick feet, pulling the ball for his compatriot mid-slip, allowing the City captain to place into the bottom corner and instigated a chorus of “There’s only one Kevin De Bruyne” around the ground.

There was no new contract offer to De Bruyne and he will leave when his current deal expires in the summer. No one doubts that he still has the ability to influence games but Guardiola and City need players who can do so regularly. De Bruyne’s body has let him down in recent years but his trademark energy and vigour have returned for his swansong, able to offer the bursting runs and skills that have bedevilled opponents over the past decade. “A lot of teammates have said that it’s sad I have to go too but that’s just how it goes sometimes in life,” De Bruyne said. “I don’t know what the future will be, but I know that I can still play here.”

Wolves have their talisman planning a summer exit but Cunha will be in much higher demand than De Bruyne. It was a sign of how dangerous Wolves were despite having to play on the break. City were increasingly sloppy in possession, allowing the visitors to frequently counter. O’Reilly was hooked by Guardiola for repeatedly giving the ball away, as Manuel Akanji was brought on to strengthen a susceptible back four, while the returning Erling Haaland remained unused.

Wolves’ fight for parity almost took a huge blow when Aït-Nouri tried to perform a 360 degree turn, only to put his studs into Bernardo Silva’s ankle. VAR took a lengthy look but it was deemed no further action was required from the referee, Peter Bankes. “In the end I am very happy, very proud of my team, my players and supporters,” Pereira said. “Just the result was not right.”

De Bruyne departed with seven minutes to go, giving fans a penultimate opportunity of a standing ovation, with Bournemouth’s upcoming visit his curtain call that is likely to include plenty of pomp and ceremony for the departing legend. He deserved the latest one for his performance on the night, not just for the sake of nostalgia. There is still plenty of time for that to come as City prepare to bid farewell to one of their heroes but he will leave with plenty of memories.

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