Erling Haaland gets double as Manchester City start with statement win over Wolves

Erling Haaland gets double as Man City start with statement win over Wolves (AP Photo)

Erling Haaland struck twice as Manchester City kicked off their Premier League campaign with a crushing 4-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

New signings Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki netted debut goals for Pep Guardiola's revamped team in what they hope will be the first step towards improving on last season's disappointing third-place finish.

Haaland, who has scored in all four season-opening games during his spell in England's top flight, struck in the 34th minute when Reijnders chipped a ball through to Rico Lewis who sent in 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, pounced on a loose pass before setting up the Dutch midfielder who fired the ball into the far corner.

Haaland, the Premier League's top scorer in his first two seasons at City, completed his brace in the 61st minute when Bobb pulled the ball back for him to fire a low drive past Jose Sa.

"Erling is in a good tone, we felt it in the training sessions, the rhythm," Guardiola told Sky Sports. "Really satisfied with that."

Haaland was replaced midway through the second half by Cherki, ending the Norwegian's hopes of a third hat-trick against Wolves.

Cherki completed the rout after 81 minutes to ice an emphatic start to the season for City, who won the title four years in a row from 2021-24.

A summer of change followed City's season without a trophy, as they acquired Reijnders, Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri and James Trafford, with Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne among stalwarts to leave.

The debuts of Reijnders and Cherki hinted at a promising campaign, and goalkeeper Trafford looked assured after replacing Ederson who missed the game due to illness.

"It's a really nice start, of course, to start with a goal and an assist," Reijnders told Sky. "And especially in the Premier League, it's a thing you always dreamed about, starting like this.

"The first game of the season you don't know what will happen, how the opponent will play. We did quite good. Of course, they put some good pressure on us but we stayed calm. A good four-nil win."

Wolves boss Vitor Pereira said City were simply the stronger team.

"We played with bravery, tried to score goals and we had our chances to score. In the end each time we committed a mistake they punished us with a goal," he told BBC radio.

It was an emotional start to the game at Molineux as fans participated in a minute of applause in memory of former Wolves forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who died in a car crash in July.

A huge banner read; "We'll remember you when you walk in fields of gold".

The fans chanted "Diogo, Diogo" in the 18th minute -- Jota's Wolves shirt number at Wolves -- and his shirt was laid on the pitch after full time.