Erling Haaland struck twice when Manchester City started the Premier League 2025-26 campaign with a crushing 4-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
New signing sessions Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki yielded debut goals for the renewed Pep Guardiola team in what it hopes to be the first step in the direction of the disappointing third place of last season.
Haaland, who scored in all four seasonal matches during his enchantment in the top flight of England, hit in the 34th minute when Reijnders switched a ball to Rico Lewis, who sent a low cross for the Norwegian to tap home.
Reijnders scored three minutes later when Oscar Bobb, who missed most of last season with a broken leg, hit a loose pass before he set up the Dutch midfielder, who shot the ball in the far corner.
Haaland, the top scorer of the Premier League in his first two seasons in City, completed his brace in the 61st minute when Bobb pulled the ball back to fire a low ride past Jose Sa.
Haaland was replaced halfway through the second half by Cherki, so that the hope of the Noor on a third hat trick against wolves was ended.
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Cherki completed the route after 81 minutes to an emphatic start of the season for City in IJzer, which won the title four years in a row from 2021-24.
A summer of change followed the trophic season of the city, because it took to Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne under faithful to leave Reijnders, Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri and James Trafford.
The debut of Reijnders and Cherki hinted at a promising campaign, and goalkeeper Trafford looked insured after replacing Eminerson, who missed the match due to illness.
It was an emotional start of the game in Molineux, because fans participated in a minute of applause in memory of former wolves Vooruit Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who died in a car accident in July.
Read a huge banner; «We will remember when you walk in the field of gold».
The fans sang «Diogo, Diogo» in the 18th minute – Jota’s Wolves shirt number at Wolves – and his shirt was put on the field after full -time.
