May 4, (THEWILL)- Erling Haaland’s four-goal haul propelled Manchester City to a resounding 5-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, ensuring Pep Guardiola’s side remained hot on the heels of English Premier League leaders Arsenal.
The Norwegian’s first-half hat-trick this season, including two penalties, put City in firm control before he added a fourth after the interval, moving to 25 league goals this campaign.
Despite Arsenal’s earlier 3-0 win over Bournemouth, which had temporarily extended the Gunners’ lead to four points, City responded emphatically at the Etihad Stadium.
Haaland capitalised on Rayan Ait-Nouri’s inadvertent foul on Josko Gvardiol to convert the opener from the spot after a VAR review. His towering header in the 35th minute and goal in the 45th minute, the latter another penalty, completed a quickfire treble.
Hwang Hee-chan briefly reduced the deficit early in the second half, but Haaland swiftly restored City’s three-goal cushion with a fierce left-footed strike. Julian Alvarez added gloss to the scoreline late on, as the champions cut Arsenal’s advantage to just one point, with a game in hand against Tottenham Hotspur.
Haaland’s four-goal haul continued another high-scoring season in English football, moving him five clear in the race for the EPL Golden Boot. With 25 goals in 24 appearances, few would bet against the 22-year-old rewriting further records before the campaign concludes.
For Wolves, an 11th-placed finish looks increasingly likely as injuries continue to hamper Tim Jenkins’ squad depth, with this their eighth loss in nine visits to the Etihad.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
