On Friday night, Wolves entertained Manchester City in the Premier League, aiming to extend their winning streak to seven matches.
Wolves came flying out of the blocks and created multiple golden chances, including through Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Rayan Ait-Nouri, but Manchester City ultimately punished them.
Kevin De Bruyne’s first-half strike proved to be the only goal of the game as Wolves lost 1-0 against Man City at the Etihad.
Although fans weren’t happy with Marshall Munetsi’s performance, the visitors were good in spells and being more clinical on the night could have resulted in a victory.
However, Jamie Carragher also felt Wolves were lucky to keep 11 men on the pitch when analysing a challenge made by Ait-Nouri.
Jamie Carragher felt Rayan Ait-Nouri should have been sent off vs Man City
In the second half of the game, the Algerian dribbled the ball into Bernardo Silva, but momentum meant the wing-back planted his foot into the City player’s ankle.
VAR had a closer look at the challenge, though to the relief of Wolves, chose to stick with Craig Pawson’s initial call, with Carragher feeling Ait-Nouri was a ‘lucky boy’.
During Sky Sports coverage, the former Liverpool defender said: “He might have a problem. It always looks worse in slow-motion, but he tries to roll the ball over here, it doesn’t look great that. I think he’s going to get sent off.
“It’s a long way away from the ball. As I said, things look worse in slow motion… But it doesn’t look great in normal speed, either.
“It looks like he reaches out an extra yard in front. Listen, I don’t like players getting sent off…
“I always think if there’s a situation where it’s a 50/50 call or you can find a way as a referee to keep 11 vs 11 on the pitch, that’s always my view. But I think he’s a very lucky boy there.”
Ait-Nouri was impressive against Man City
While red cards have previously been handed out for similar offences in the past, common sense prevailed in that instance, as the challenge was accidental and had no force behind it.
But taking that moment of controversy away, Ait-Nouri was arguably Wolves’ best attacking spark on the night.
The 23-year-old hit the post with an effort in the first period and was a constant threat, using his impressive dribbling and pace to cause the City problems.
Rayan Ait-Nouri’s stats vs Man City
- 90 minutes played
- 0.22 expected goals
- 21/22 accurate passes (95%)
- 2 successful dribbles
- 4 ground duels won
- 2 interceptions
Ait-Nouri, who could leave Wolves this summer, was a stand-out performer on the pitch, with the above statistics painting a perfect picture of his all-round game.