Reijnders Equals Aguero's Historic Mark as Man City Crushes Wolves 4-0 in Stunning Debut
Manchester City kicked off the 2025–26 season with a commanding 4–0 triumph over Wolverhampton Wanderers away from home on Saturday afternoon.
Pep Guardiola expressed cautious optimism before City's Premier League comeback. "I can't guarantee it, but the indicators suggest we might improve," the Spanish manager reflected following his most challenging season as a coach last year. "Perhaps we could perform worse. It's unpredictable. However, I believe we'll be stronger."
This qualified confidence likely stems from City's summer acquisitions. While Rayan Aït-Nouri's homecoming to Molineux sparked debate this weekend and Rayan Cherki's exceptional ability might shape the season, it was a composed Dutch midfielder who made the day distinctly belong to Tijjani Reijnders.
Guardiola praised the summer addition from AC Milan as an "exceptional talent" after witnessing his smooth integration during this summer's Club World Cup. Though Reijnders couldn't prevent his new club from an early elimination in the U.S., he made an outstanding Premier League debut.
Just past the thirty-minute mark, the Netherlands star danced away from João Gomes before delivering a cleverly weighted pass over the Wolves defense for Rico Lewis to chase down. The attacking fullback whipped a precise cross across the penalty area which Erling Haaland eagerly converted.
Reijnders found himself finishing off an unusually swift City breakaway just three minutes afterward. Oscar Bobb dispossessed André in midfield and began racing forward with electric pace. Despite starting the sequence several yards behind his Norwegian colleague, Reijnders surged past Bobb into the penalty area, stroking a first-time left-footed shot beyond José Sá merely eight seconds after City regained possession.
The dynamic Dutchman created a second goal for Haaland and City's third of the match with an impressive display of his diverse abilities. Reijnders elegantly controlled James Trafford's aerial pass on the hour, combined with Bobb as he reached the touchline before setting up Haaland for a thunderous strike from outside the box.
Reijnders wasn't the sole Premier League newcomer to excel for City on Saturday. The promising Rayan Cherki found the bottom corner to seal what had become a comprehensive victory within 10 minutes of entering the match.
Despite all the positives Reijnders provided—becoming only the second City player to score and assist on his Premier League debut after Sergio Agüero—he didn't single-handedly restore the defensive solidity City have frequently missed without Rodri. Nico González proved less reliable than the offside line maintained by the defenders, which barely prevented Wolves from scoring on several occasions.
Man City Player Ratings vs. Wolves (4-2-3-1)
*Ratings provided by FotMob*
Player | Rating Out of 10 |
|---|---|
GK: James Trafford | 8.2 |
RB: Rico Lewis | 7.9 |
CB: John Stones | 7.4 |
CB: Rúben Dias | 7.1 |
LB: Rayan Aït-Nouri | 8.1 |
CM: Tijjani Reijnders | 8.2 |
CM: Nico González | 8.1 |
CM: Bernardo Silva | 7.3 |
RW: Oscar Bobb | 8.0 |
ST: Erling Haaland | 8.9 |
LW: Jérémy Doku | 6.6 |
SUB: Matheus Nunes (66' for Lewis) | 6.5 |
SUB: Nico O'Reilly (66' for Bernardo) | 5.8 |
SUB: Omar Marmoush (66' for Doku) | 6.1 |
SUB: Rayan Cherki (73' for Haaland) | 7.1 |
SUB: Abdukodir Khusanov (82' for Stones) | N/A |
Subs not used: Stefan Ortega (GK), Manuel Akanji, Nathan Aké, Ilkay Gündogan.