Jeremy Doku dismal, Tijjani Reijnders incredible – Man City ratings v Wolves
Pep Guardiola’s Man City side kicked off their Premier League campaign with a sensational win over Wolves at Molineux Stadium.
Erling Haaland started proceedings, smashing home from close range following a smart pass from Rico Lewis, before Tijjani Reijnders doubled City’s lead on Saturday, 16 August.
Haaland grabbed his brace before the manager made a plethora of changes, only for Rayan Cherki to put the icing on the cake during the final 10 minutes to secure all three points in a 4-0 win.
Rico Lewis proves himself to Pep Guardiola
James Trafford – 8
Sensible decisions. Confident calls for claims and crosses. A decent first outing for his boyhood club since returning from Burnley.
Rico Lewis (Off for Nunes 65′) – 8
An incredible showing from Lewis, who continues to be linked with Nottingham Forest. Guardiola would be foolish to let the youngster go this summer.
John Stones (Off for Khusanov 83′) – 8
Always made himself available, remaining calm at the back before sliding into midfield to offer his teammates another option. Such a smart footballer for City.
Ruben Dias – 7
Slightly outshone by his defensive partner, rarely getting involved and only making blocks when required.
Rayan Ait-Nouri – 6
Despite a couple of shots at goal, the former Wolves man was relatively quiet at Molineux.
Tijjani Reijnders steals the show
Nico Gonzalez – 6
In the absence of Rodri, the Spaniard held his ground well, added to the attack nicely, and slotted back into the defensive line when called upon.
Tijjani Reijnders – 9 – Player of the Match
Stole the show at Molineux. Quickly helped fans forget about Kevin De Bruyne, bagging a goal and an assist, adding to his fine performance against Palermo.
Bernardo Silva (Off for O’Reilly 66′) – 8
Leading by example as the club captain, Silva created a handful of chances and should have grabbed an assist for his efforts.
Oscar Bobb – 7
The Norwegian winger came back into the lineup with a bang, assisting Reijnders’ first goal of the afternoon while continuing to be a nuisance down the right flank.
Jeremy Doku (Off for Marmoush 66′) – 3
Barely involved despite all of City’s attacking intent and counter-attacks. Main focus came down the right-hand side, which meant the Belgian was ignored.
Erling Haaland starts his Man City account for 2025/26
Erling Haaland (Off for Cherki 73′) – 8
He got his Premier League campaign off to a flying start, grabbing two well-taken goals, which were put on a plate for him by his teammates.
Substitutes
Matheus Nunes (On for Lewis 65′) – 6
Added some much-needed stability in the bacline, winning all necessary battles.
Omar Marmoush (On for Doku 66′) – 5
Made an instant impact, dragging his team up the field, but slowly drifted out of the game.
Nico O’Reilly (On for Silva 66′) – 4
Broke up the play well, picking up a yellow card for his troubles. Though Guardiola would have preferred a clean last few minutes.
Rayan Cherki (On for Haaland 73′) – 7
Instant impact. Nothing Jose Sa could do to deny Cherki from scoring his goal in the 4-0 routing.
Abdukodir Khusanov (On for Stones 83′) – 7
Made some decent interventions in his very limited time on the field. Used his talent and defensive attributes to see out the game.