Manchester City collected a 2-0 Premier League victory over Wolves, securing a first league win of 2026 and closing the gap to Arsenal to four points, with Antoine Semenyo scoring a debut home league goal and Omar Marmoush also on target.
The result arrives after a difficult spell for Manchester City, who had suffered successive defeats against Manchester United and Bodo/Glimt, yet this controlled performance, achieved with Erling Haaland and Phil Foden starting on the bench, steadied their domestic campaign and eased recent pressure.
Manchester City did not fully dominate in attack but still recorded a routine success, generating 0.92 expected goals compared with Wolves’ 0.59, while restricting clear chances and ensuring Wolves failed to seriously
test Gianluigi Donnarumma across either half at the Etihad Stadium.
The victory also extended Manchester City’s strong record against clubs starting a Premier League match at the bottom of the table, as Manchester City are now unbeaten in 31 such fixtures, with 25 wins and six draws, since losing 2-1 to West Brom in December 2008.
Manchester City struck early when Omar Marmoush stretched to meet a low cross from Matheus Nunes in the sixth minute, guiding the ball past Jose Sa, a goal that settled nerves after the recent losses and gave Manchester City immediate control.
Marmoush almost doubled the advantage just after the half-hour when cutting in from the left side and firing against the base of the right post, with play continuing despite Manchester City appeals for handball against Yerson Mosquera, which VAR judged involved a natural arm position.
Antoine Semenyo then delivered Manchester City’s second in the second minute of first-half added time, finding space on the edge of the penalty area before bending a low shot beyond Jose Sa, a strike that ultimately secured both the points and Semenyo’s first Premier League goal for the club.
Manchester City Premier League statistics and Wolves outlook
The second half saw Wolves grow into the match without finding a finish, with Mosquera sending a looping header onto the crossbar shortly after Semenyo had struck the frame of the goal at the opposite end, as both teams failed to alter the scoreline after the interval.
That goal confirmed an impressive personal landmark for Antoine Semenyo, who became the first player to score on a home Premier League debut for Manchester City since Jack Grealish achieved the same feat against Norwich City in August 2021, highlighting Semenyo’s immediate contribution.
Manchester City’s record without Erling Haaland starting also continued to stand out, as Manchester City have now won 18 of 22 league matches in which Haaland has not been in the starting XI, drawing two and losing two, giving a win rate of 82% compared with 63% when Haaland starts, with 73 victories from 115 league games.
| Team / Measure | Manchester City | Wolves |
|---|---|---|
| Expected goals (xG) | 0.92 | 0.59 |
| Final score | 2 | 0 |
| Record vs teams starting bottom (last 31 games) | W25 D6 L0 | Started bottom |
For Wolves, the defeat kept the club at the foot of the Premier League, 14 points from safety, and marked Rob Edwards’ 50th top-flight match as a manager, with the record now showing 32 defeats, seven wins and 11 draws across those games.
Three points 2-0 @okx pic.twitter.com/jnuNJzqw0KManchester City (@ManCity) January 24, 2026
Manchester City left the pitch with a needed league success, statistical control and a clean sheet, while Antoine Semenyo and Omar Marmoush delivered the decisive moments, whereas Wolves and Rob Edwards faced another setback in a season already defined by relegation pressure.
