Stones salvages late victory for Man City against Wolves after VAR controversy: Five talking points from the game | OneFootball

John Stones salvaged a late victory for Manchester City against Wolves after some VAR controversy.

The City defender headed in from a corner in stoppage time to make it 2-1, after Josko Gvardiol had scored a brilliant first-half equaliser following Jørgen Strand Larsen’s early opener.

But the Wolves staff, players and fans were left furious by the decision to allow the goal, which means their side remain bottom on just a point. Here are five talking points from the game…

Late VAR drama

Wolves fans were left furious by the decision to allow Stones’ late winner, when he headed in from Phil Foden’s corner. There was an immediate lifeline for the home side, however, when it was announced there would be a VAR check for offside on Bernardo Silva, who was stood in an offside position in front of goalkeeper Jose Sa. Bernardo gave the goalkeeper a nudge before ducking down out of the way of Sa when Stones headed the ball, and was deemed not to be interfering with the goalkeeper much to the delight of Guardiola and dismay of the home side.

Explaining the decision, The Premier League Match Centre said: “The VAR deemed Bernardo Silva wasn’t in the line of vision and had no impact on the goalkeeper and recommended an on-field review. The referee overturned his original decision and a goal was awarded.”

Wolves’ game plan causes City problems

Gary O’Neil has come in for criticism this season following Wolves’ poor start to the campaign but his game plan caused plenty of problems for Manchester City, to which he deserves enormous credit. Wolves sat very deep with a flat back five, three in midfield and two strikers all behind the ball when City were in possession, but were quick to launch counter-attacks when the chance arose, which is exactly how the first goal came about, with Wolves quickly working the ball out to the right-hand side for Nelson Semedo to cross for Strand Larsen.

There were times when Wanderers gave the ball back to City too easily, especially in the latter stages of the first half, and they were too slow to get out to close their opposition down on occasion, including for Josko Gvardiol’s equaliser, but overall it was a game plan which worked.

City vulnerable to counter-attacks

The other side to how much Wolves got in transition is how vulnerable Manchester City looked, however, especially in the the first half. They played incredibly high in Wolves’ half and dominated the ball, but were badly caught out for the opener when they left too much space for Semedo and Strand Larsen, and should have conceded another on the break when Semedo got through on goal but was denied by Ederson. City have not been at their best defensively this season compared to previous years and there were similar issues in the games against Fulham and Brentford too, despite eventually coming out on top in all three.

Gvardi-goal shows his importance at both ends

Gvardiol scored some important, and outstanding, goals for Manchester City last season, and in a game in which City were facing a team sitting so deep, his ability to score from distance again proved vital. He brilliantly picked out the top corner from just outside the box to level the score before the break, with Jose Sa unable to keep it out despite getting a good hand to his strike. That was the defender’s second Premier League goal of the season, and his shooting ability continues to be a helpful boost for Guardiola’s team.

Strand Larsen outshines international team-mate Haaland

Erling Haaland might recently have become Norway’s all-time top scorer at the age of just 24, but it was another 24-year-old Norwegian striker who impressed in this game. Despite Wolves’ struggles this season, Strand Larsen looks to be an excellent addition to the squad, and scored his third Premier League goal of the season with a fine opener against Man City. He is not quite as big as his compatriot, but certainly is not lacking in size and strength, and made life difficult for City’s defenders before he was taken off with about ten minutes to go. Haaland, on the other hand, was extremely quiet and rarely threatened the Wolves goal.

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