MANCHESTER: Gabriel Jesus struck twice as Manchester City beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-1 on Tuesday to move 15 points clear at the top of the Premier League with their 21st straight win in all competitions.

Pep Guardiola’s side, storming towards their third league title in four years, scored three late goals to wrap up victory and move onto 65 points with 11 games left to play ahead of Manchester United on 50 points with a game in hand.

City’s latest win equals their club record run of 28 games unbeaten in all competitions, set between April and December 2017.

The margin of defeat was a little harsh on a Wolves side who were on level terms at the 80-minute mark but City’s late surge did reflect their dominance of the game.

Jesus scored in the 80th minute and again from close range with virtually the last kick of the game after Riyad Mahrez had made it 3-1, capping a period of incessant pressure by City after Wolves equalised in the 61st minute through Conor Coady’s header the visitors’ first touch in City’s box. Leander Dendoncker had given City the lead for the first time with an own-goal in the 15th.

“When you have a run of 20 wins, you’re not always going to win 3-0, 4-0, 5-0,” Guardiola said. “So that is why how you recover from difficult situations is what I’m looking for.”

The home side toyed with the visitors from the opening whistle, hogging possession as Wolves struggled to gain a foothold.

City’s dominance was rewarded when Dendoncker stretched out a leg and turned the ball into the net as he tried to cut out a low cross from Mahrez.

City thought they had a two-goal lead to take into the interval but Aymeric Laporte’s 44th-minute effort was ruled out for offside.

Wolves’ only good spell of the game came after Coady scored his first Premier League goal, with Adama Traore blazing two shots over the bar.

City regrouped and after Jesus swept in a loose ball from the edge of six-yard box after Kyle Walker’s cross was blocked near the goal line, Mahrez placed a shot into the bottom corner in the 90th after Wolves were hounded out of possession.

Jesus converted from close in for the fourth goal in stoppage time after goalkeeper Rui Patricio could only parry out a shot from substitute Ilkay Gundogan.

Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2021