Manchester City 4-1 Wolves: Pep Guardiola’s men make it 21 wins in a row

As strange as it sounds, Manchester City’s huge lead at the top of the Premier League probably doesn’t reflect their dominance. City are fifteen points clear now but are actually rather more superior than that.

Currently nobody in England can live with Pep Guardiola’s team. Certainly not a team like Wolves who came for a smash and grab without really knowing how to do it.

This is 21 consecutive wins for City now and 28 games unbeaten. The way they celebrated the three late goals that gave this score line a just look indicated that it is a run they wish to extend through Sunday’s Manchester derby and beyond.

Briefly this threatened to present us with one of the season’s oddest results. City had led early but had found the going so utterly straight forward that they had lacked the urgency to end the game early.

So when Wolves equalised with their first touch in the City penalty area – yes really – in the 62nd minute, a curiosity – namely a game City don’t win – was suddenly on the cards.

A Gabriel Jesus double inspired Manchester City to a 4-1 win over Wolves in a frantic contest at the Etihad on Tuesday night

Pep Guardiola’s men are 15 points clear at the top of the table after a 21st win – but it wasn’t as easy as the scoreline suggests 

City were utterly dominant from the first whistle but had to dig deep against a plucky Wolves side who gave them a big scare

The hosts finally got the goal they deserved as Leandro Dendoncker prodded into his own net with Raheem Sterling lurking 

City, though, are marvellous to watch when they have had their pride pricked, when they are annoyed. Their intensity spikes and with that goals inevitably follow.

That was what happened here. City briefly looked panicked. Wolves even created a couple chances at 1-1. But the sheer repetitive excellence of City’s football got them where they wanted to go and three late goals restored order.

For the whole of the first half, it was simply too easy for City. Wolves played with five across the back and relied on the pace of Adama Traore to get them out and up the field. But it was a plan that fell down on the back of their inability to ever get the ball to him.

So Wolves were hemmed in and vulnerable and after Raheem Sterling and Kevin de Bruyne threatened early, City scored in the 16th minute.

They thought they had their second goal when Laporte bundled home from Dias’s flick on, but was ruled as marginally offside

Wolves looked dead and buried but they rallied in the second half and scored a shock equaliser via Conor Coady’s header

The former Liverpool defender wheels away after netting his first goal since 2018 and his first ever in the Premier League

Wolves’ left-sided player was the Spaniard Jonny and he moved up in haste when City’s Rodri floated a diagonal ball towards Riyad Mahrez. It was a good pass but Jonny’s misjudgement made it look even better.

On the run, Mahrez controlled the ball well, pushing it in front of him. The cross was then delivered on the run and Leander Dendoncker turned the ball in to his own goal under pressure from Sterling.

For the rest of the first half City enjoyed themselves. Wolves were not in it. But strangely City did not score again for over an hour.

Aymeric Laporte had a goal disallowed for a marginal offside just before half-time and then Rui Patricio saved a Bernardo Silva header. In to the second period and Patricio saved from De Bruyne and Mahrez. There had been absolutely no change to the pattern of the game but no more goals.

And then Wolves scored, almost as though it was part of some grand, precisely conceived plan.

But it wasn’t long before City were back in front and Jesus made no mistake to smash home at close range from a rebound

Riyad Mahrez was quality all night long and he got on the scoresheet with City’s third goal as he curled beyond Patricio

Jesus got his brace on the night as he prodded home after Ilkay Gundogan’s shot had been parried by the Wolves’ keeper

Wolves deployed Adama Traore centrally but struggled to pick him out as they were passed into the ground by City early on

Wolves couldn’t live with Kevin De Bruyne’s passing as he picked out team-mates with some sensational long-range passes

A free-kick awarded 35 yards out was swung in by Joao Moutinho and defender and captain Conor Coady put his head between flying City boots to head Wolves back in to the game. Replays showed City defender Ruben Dias to have been the defender playing Coady onside. He also may have done better in the challenge.

So Wolves were back on terms with their first effort on target and Coady’s first accurate goal attempt in two and a half years as a Premier League player.

Given that Coady is a tall athletic central defender who has a goal for England to his name, that latter statistic is extraordinary. For a while it looked as though it may feature in this morning’s headlines.

But after Traore wasted a couple of half chances for a team briefly imbued with belief, City gathered themselves to re-establish control of the game.

Man City winger Raheem Sterling had the first big chance of the game as his close range shot was parried out by Patricio

It was squeaky for a few minutes. Gabriel Jesus missed twice while Sterling erred at the near post.

But City worked it down the right once again with eleven minutes to go and when Kyle Walker’s low cross was not properly dealt with, Jesus turned sharply to smash the ball in.

Wolves were not coming back from that and City punished them for their earlier impudence twice in added time. Mahrez shot accurately from 16 yards for the third before Jesus popped in a rebound when Patricio saved from Ilkay Gundogan.

Guardiola looked pleased, really pleased. They enjoy winning at Manchester City. They are used to it.

Relive all the action on the night from the Etihad with Sportsmail’s live blog from OLI GAMP