Wolverhampton Wanderers were no match for Manchester City in the end last night.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were beaten 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium by the Premier League leaders, who recorded their 21st straight victory as a result.
The final scoreline was perhaps a little harsh on Rui Patricio, who was excellent for the visitors, but City’s dominance in the game probably warranted a convincing victory.
There was a brief effort from Wolves, who surprisingly hit back through Conor Coady with their first attempt at goal on the hour-mark, but the hosts quickly composed themselves before getting the job done.
It was a night of very few positives for Wolves.
Patricio’s fine form was one but beyond that, it was rather an evening to forget against a fearsome side.
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That said, the return of Willy Boly was a welcome sight for many last night.
The Ivory Coast defender was named on the bench after missing the past five matches, including the FA Cup defeat to Southampton.
He wasn’t quite ready to play any minutes, but he could well return to the starting XI against Aston Villa at the weekend and that would be a major boost given the struggles of Leander Dendoncker of late.
Boly return timely
It’s great news for Wolves that Boly is back in the picture.
The backline does miss him when he isn’t a part of it, and arguably the midfield misses Dendoncker just as much.
The £12 million Belgian (talkSPORT) has it in him to play as part of a three-man defence, but his form just at this moment in time is not so great.
His display against Leicester was decent but he struggled last night – although there wasn’t much he could do about the own goal – and was also shaky in the FA Cup defeat to Southampton.
He’s a quality player, but needs to get back to where he’s most effective and the return of Boly will now permit that.