Manchester City 0-2 Wolves: 3 players who impressed and 2 who didn't | Premier League 2019-20

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Manchester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Premier League
Manchester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Premier League

By the final whistle, a surprise result was to be found at the Etihad Stadium where Manchester City were overpowered in the final stages of the game. The Cityzens picked up their second loss of the season against an unexpected team, once more.

Perhaps foreseeing things to come, Wolverhampton Wanderers had the first great chance only four minutes into the game. City's high line allowed Patrick Cutrone to receive a through-pass and run towards goal, but he failed at the finish.

A poor pass from Riyad Mahrez opened up another counter for Wolves again but Fernandinho blocked two shots to save City. Minutes later, another poor City pass by Nicolas Otamendi sent Wolves towards Ederson's goalpost yet again. Raul Jimenez was unable to take a shot on time and Ederson saved the Cityzens.

Rui Patricio saved good shots by Raheem Sterling and Kyle Walker during the first half as Man City kept up the pressure on Wolves.

The second half came with a few more chances for City. A David Silva free-kick dashed on the crossbar, and a few moments later, Silva had another go from the near-post but couldn't keep it down. Bernardo Silva's shot in the 75th minute ricocheted off Sergio Aguero and Ryan Bennett, and Patricio was able to get to it.

However, with ten minutes of full time remaining, Adama Traore was the man to open the scoring in awesome fashion. Raul Jimenez picked up the ball in Wolves half and started an amazing counter-attack. He dribbled past a flailing Otamendi and dropped a pass to Traore who coolly slotted in a finish past Ederson in the bottom right corner.

Post their goal, Wolves fell back to weather the Cityzens' onslaught. Patricio helped keep out a Bernardo Silva cross that nearly found the net. Oleksandr Zinchenko's cross found Aguero but the Argentinian was unable to keep it on target.

Wolves, however, found another, with barely any time left. Jimenez gave a quick pass to Traore who was unmarked in the middle of the pitch. Traore ran down to the final third and slotted his second goal of the game past Ederson, 15 minutes after his first.

The whole stadium remained stunned and quiet, save for the away section that had screaming Wolves fans.

Manchester City now have another mountain to climb before they can reach Liverpool.

Without further ado, let's take a look at three players who impressed and two players who didn't.


#5 Rui Patricio was a rock for Wolves

Manchester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Premier League
Manchester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Premier League

The 31-year-old goalkeeper put his experience to good use as he maintained solidity within his sticks and kept a clean sheet at City's expense.

While he was a bit lucky that a number of chances were long shots, those that came near his post were parried behind the line or caught. He almost let a goal in during David Silva's freekick but Patricio was saved by the bar.

Man City were also below par today, but that does not take away Patricio's effectiveness in the gloves for Wolves today. Those three points won by his team are thanks to his agility in goal, and he should be proud of such a performance.

#4 Riyad Mahrez did not play well for City

Manchester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Premier League
Manchester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Premier League

The Algerian had a very poor outing with Manchester City today, and he was kept quiet by the Wolves defence.

Riyad Mahrez had the second lowest number of passes in the entire City starting XI, even fewer than Kyle Walker who played 45 minutes.

Besides this, Mahrez did not do much to harass the Wolves defence or goalkeeper. He had only one shot at goal which wasn't even on target. He had the second-lowest passing accuracy in the starting lineup, and his bad pass nearly led to a goal in the first half. Mahrez didn't make a single key pass during the 56 minutes he spent on the pitch and will want to forget this day as quickly as possible.


#3 Raul Jimenez was crucial for Wolves

Manchester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Premier League
Manchester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Premier League

Raul Jimenez stumbled when he had an opportunity to put Wolves ahead at the beginning of the game. He also ended the game without getting his name on the scoresheet.

However, the Mexican was hugely instrumental in ensuring that Wolves found the much-needed three points today. Jimenez picked up two solid assists, thanks to his quick feet and quick thinking.

The 28-year-old single-handedly surged into the final third with the ball, dribbled beautifully past Otamendi, and laid it up for Traore to score.

In the dying embers of the game, it was his pass from midfield that Traore picked up and dashed down the middle to put it past Ederson again.

While the second goal didn't take much work from Jimenez, he undoubtedly deserved both assists, and he'll be proud of it.

#2 Sergio Aguero couldn't work his magic

Manchester City v Dinamo Zagreb: Group C - UEFA Champions League
Manchester City v Dinamo Zagreb: Group C - UEFA Champions League

Manchester City's Sergio Aguero has been an attacking dynamo at the club, and his position is cemented in the starting eleven. The diminutive striker has already exhibited his exploits this season, so it comes as a surprise that Aguero had such a poor day, not just in front of goal, but all round.

The Argentine had three shots on goal, but he failed to keep any one of them on target. He was barely left any breathing space by Wolves' defensive trio. Aguero was the player on City's starting lineup that made the fewest touches and fewest passes, and he also had the worst passing accuracy.

Apart from one key pass, there is little else Aguero did today on the field that hampered Wolves in any way.


#1 Adama Traore made all the difference for Wolves

Manchester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Premier League
Manchester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Premier League

What else needs to be said about the man who scored a brace in 14 minutes to grant Wolves an unexpected win over Manchester City?

In both goals, Adama Traore was quietly waiting for the opportunity to surge forward and take the chance. He made those two runs, took two shots at goal, put them both on target, and scored them both.

Although he played on the right-wing, his forays into the centre of the field were crucial to Wolves. He single-handedly ensured three points with his composure, and Wolves' confidence will know no bounds.

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