Kevin De Bruyne goal edges Man City closer to Champions League qualification

De Bruyne’s farewell continued with a crucial goal to see off Wolves

Kevin De Bruyne marked his penultimate home game for Manchester City with a goal as they edged out Wolves 1-0 to move a step closer to securing Champions League football next term.

De Bruyne continued his farewell run before his contract expires this summer by striking in the 35th minute, his 250th goal involvement under Pep Guardiola.

Wolves for one will not miss the Belgian, as 11 of those have come in his last 10 appearances against them.

De Bruyne has one more chance to grace the Etihad when City host Bournemouth on May 20.

Victory made it five in a row for City for only the second time this season, moving them third before the rest of the weekend’s action and four points clear of sixth-placed Nottingham Forest in the fight for a top-five finish.

Wolves had travelled up the M6 on a six-game winning run, looking to make it seven in a row in the top flight for the first time since 1946, but were frustrated on a night when both Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri struck the post.

Playing with the confidence recent results afforded them, Wolves started well and looked the more dangerous side for much of the first half.

Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring at the Etihad (PA Wire)

They should have led after 22 minutes. Cunha, at the heart of all their best moves, rode a challenge in midfield and slipped a superb ball into the path of Jean-Richer Bellegarde, starting in place of the injured Jorgen Strand Larsen.

Bellegarde could have shot himself but instead tried to give Marshall Munetsi a tap-in, playing it just too far forward as City breathed a sigh of relief.

Five minutes later the visitors went even closer. Cunha charged forward before the ball fell for Ait-Nouri. The full-back’s first effort came back off the post before his second was hacked clear by Josko Gvardiol on the City line.

City’s first real chance came in the 33rd minute. Jeremy Doku cut in from the left and slipped the ball into Nico O’Reilly, who took a neat touch before hitting a left-footed shot that Jose Sa palmed over.

Wolves were punished for their missed chances (PA Wire)

Two minutes later City led. Bernardo Silva, making his 400th City appearance, dispossessed Andre in midfield before City shifted it left, with Doku pulling the ball back for De Bruyne to fire home.

A goal to the good, City looked more assured at the start of the second half as they kept Wolves pegged back, but almost out of nowhere the visitors struck the post again in the 56th minute.

Cunha was surrounded by three City defenders when he plucked a long ball out of the air, but found space to rattle Ederson’s upright with a speculative effort.

The win edges Man City closer to Champions League qualification (PA Wire)

Guardiola responded by sending on Manuel Akanji in place of O’Reilly, shifting Gvardiol to left-back, while Erling Haaland was sent out to warm up, the Norwegian back in the match squad for the first time in a month after an ankle injury.

When Ait-Nouri went over the ball and caught Silva on the ankle in the 72nd minute VAR Paul Tierney took a long look before referee Peter Bankes restarted play.

But from there the game petered out, with City exerting enough control to stretch their unbeaten run to nine games.