Manchester City secured a 2-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Etihad Stadium, with goals from Omar Marmoush and Antoine Semenyo in the first half. The win marks City's first Premier League triumph of 2026, reducing their deficit to leaders Arsenal to four points. Erling Haaland was benched amid a form slump, as Pep Guardiola made several changes to the lineup.
Manchester City hosted bottom-of-the-table Wolves on January 24, 2026, aiming to recover from recent defeats: a 2-0 loss to Manchester United in the Premier League and a 3-1 setback to Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League. The Citizens, winless in their last four league games, started strongly. In the sixth minute, Omar Marmoush volleyed in the opener from a Matheus Nunes delivery, vindicating Guardiola's decision to start the Egyptian forward over Haaland, who was omitted due to scoring just one goal in his previous eight appearances across all competitions.
Rayan Cherki missed a chance to double the lead shortly after, blasting over the bar. Marmoush nearly added another when he struck the post, prompting a VAR review for a possible handball by Wolves' Yerson Mosquera, but no penalty was awarded. Just before halftime, Semenyo slotted home his third goal for City—and first in the Premier League since his £65 million move from Bournemouth—after a pass from Cherki.
In the second half, Wolves pressed for a way back. Joao Gomes' free-kick forced Gianluigi Donnarumma into a full-stretch save, and Jorgen Strand Larsen flashed a shot across goal. Guardiola responded by substituting in Haaland and Jeremy Doku. Semenyo came close to a second with a fierce effort off the crossbar from Phil Foden's pass, while Mosquera's late header glanced onto the woodwork from a corner.
The result ends City's four-game winless streak in the league and halts Wolves' unbeaten run in their last four Premier League matches. City, who made five changes including Marc Guehi's debut at center-back, now trail Arsenal by four points ahead of the Gunners' match against United. Wolves remain 14 points from safety despite recent improvements, including a 6-1 FA Cup win over Shrewsbury.
