Wolves had 61% of the ball possession to Manchester City’s
39%. Wolves took 21 shots on goal to City’s 7. Wolves had 8 shots on target to
City’s 3. Wolves had 4 big chances to City’s 3. The numbers suggest that Wolves
outweighed Pep Guardiola, but it is always tough to judge a classic on the
basis of numbers. Neither it is very easy to describe the Molineux drama in
just a few words. One needs to watch it live and get fully involved with each
and every twist. Certainly, the match took quite a few twists and turns, which
ultimately dented Pep’s chances to chase the title.
This is not the first time that City failed to exhibit
composure when they were counterattacked, but more often, they lost their tempo
and balance under pressure. Wolves attacked like a pack of wolves against which
City’s star-studded side had no answer – Wolves hunted the big prey.
Ederson was sent off in the 12th minute for clattering
into Diogo Jota outside his area, then Raheem Sterling had the same
contentiously awarded penalty saved twice by Rui Patrício. Still, a 10-man City
established a two-goal lead. For a while it looked like City would triumph here
with the aid of VAR.
But it was not to be such.
Adama Traore bombarded down the middle and flanks like a
speed-merchant to destabilize City’s backline. He was a relentless force and
Pep was left clueless by his astonishing speed. 3 goals were scored in the last
35minutes - Traoré scored the first of them before creating an equalizer
for Raúl Jiménez, who later played a beautiful pass to tee up Matt Doherty for
a winning goal – Molineux went wild.
In the end, it was a fair result. If a team decides to
counterattack with boldness, automatically fortune starts to support them.
Wolves were bolder than City and wore down their opponents in the final 30
minutes when a 10-man City should have chosen caution over aggression. The
spaces opened up, Wolves fed them. To be fair, Wolves forced errors in Pep’s
team – this seems unbelievable, but the reality is harsh. Pep lost to relentlessness and boldness!
Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 28/12/2019 Wolves fight back, Pep Guardiola fails
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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