Imperious Kevin De Bruyne scores FOUR before Raheem Sterling adds a late fifth for Man City at Wolves as Premier League leaders move three points clear of Liverpool and a step closer to the title

  • Manchester City have gone three points clear at the top of the Premier League table after beating Wolves 5-1 
  • Kevin De Bruyne was the star of the show on Wednesday night after scoring four of Manchester City’s goals
  • The Belgium international opened the scoring in the seventh minute of the clash at the Molineux stadium

By Martin Samuel for MailOnline

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Four shots, four goals. And that’s to gloss over the three assists he should have had if his team-mates were as clinical in front of goal. What a performance this was from Kevin De Bruyne.

Mo Salah is the Footballer of the Year and nobody is arguing. He’s been wonderful, too. But if Manchester City close the season out with De Bruyne is this type of form, we may look back and wonder why these decisions have to be made before the final chapter is written.

In title races, it most definitely is not just how you start but how you finish, and De Bruyne was one a one-man mission to ensure Liverpool’s quadruple existed purely in the realms of the imagination. 

Manchester City have gone three points clear at the top of the Premier League table after beating Wolves 5-1 away from home

Manchester City have gone three points clear at the top of the Premier League table after beating Wolves 5-1 away from home

Kevin De Bruyne was the star of the show on Wednesday evening after scoring four of Manchester City's five goals

Kevin De Bruyne was the star of the show on Wednesday evening after scoring four of Manchester City's five goals

Kevin De Bruyne was the star of the show on Wednesday evening after scoring four of Manchester City’s five goals

The Belgium international opened the scoring in the seventh minute of the game and added his second (above) in the 16th

The Belgium international opened the scoring in the seventh minute of the game and added his second (above) in the 16th

The Belgium international opened the scoring in the seventh minute of the game and added his second (above) in the 16th 

However, between those two goals, Leander Dendoncker did manage to claw one back for the hosts in the 11th minute

However, between those two goals, Leander Dendoncker did manage to claw one back for the hosts in the 11th minute

However, between those two goals, Leander Dendoncker did manage to claw one back for the hosts in the 11th minute

De Bruyne went on to score Manchester City's third goal and confirm his hat-trick in the 24th minute of their league game

De Bruyne went on to score Manchester City's third goal and confirm his hat-trick in the 24th minute of their league game

De Bruyne went on to score Manchester City’s third goal and confirm his hat-trick in the 24th minute of their league game

He had a hat-trick in the opening 24 minutes, then added a fourth just at the point when it seemed Wolves’ counter-attacking speed was starting to trouble City. And throughout, he teed his team-mates up, too. A perfectly weighted pass for Phil Foden could have been number five in the 67th minute, but the young man hit a post.

Roles reversed, De Bryune made no mistake. Foden cut one back for him in the 59th minute and when the ball clipped a defender and fell into the path of De Bruyne, he made sure he put Wolves out of the game. 

Raheem Sterling finished them off with six minutes remaining after Jack Grealish had slipped the ball inside to Joao Cancelo. Sterling popped up at the far post to tap into an unguarded net. And to think Wolves away was regarded as a tricky one for Wolves. They made it a stroll in the park; well, one man did.

More to follow… 

MATCH FACTS

Wolves (5-3-2): Sa 5; Chiquinho 6.5, Otto 6, Coady 5.5, Boly 6, Ait-Nouri 6; Dendoncker 7, Neves 6, Moutinho 6.5; Neto 7 (Trincao 72, 6), Jimenez 6 (Hee-Chan 72, 6)

Subs not used: Hoever, Marcal, Mosquera, Silva, Ruddy, Gomes, Cundle

Manager: Bruno Lage 6

Man City (4-2-3-1): Ederson 6; Cancelo 7, Fernandinho 6.5 (Mahrez 77), Laporte 7 (Ake 61, 6.5), Zinchenko 7; Rodri 7, Gundogan 7; Sterling 7, De Bruyne 9.5, Silva 8; Foden 8 (Grealish 81)

Subs not used: Steffen, Jesus, Egan-Riley, Mbete, Palmer, Lavia

Manager: Pep Guardiola 7.5

Referee: Martin Atkinson 6

Relive the action with Sportsmail’s live blog on the Premier League clash between Wolves and Manchester City.  

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