Manchester City claimed victory in dramatic circumstances at Wolves on Sunday as John Stones headed home in the dying seconds.
City trailed early as Jørgen Strand Larsen netted for Wolves before Josko Gvardiol netted a brilliant leveller before the break. The visitors dominated the second half but looked set to drop points amid a strong Wolves rearguard until Stones struck with the goal initially flagged as offside only for VAR to intervene.
The result moved City three points clear of Arsenal after the Gunners lost at Bournemouth on Saturday night. Here’s the evening City headlines after a pulsating afternoon of Premier League action.
Injury blow
Pep Guardiola is not expecting to have Kyle Walker or Kevin De Bruyne back for their Champions League game on Wednesday.
City beat Wolves in dramatic fashion on Sunday, with an injury-time goal from John Stones being initially ruled out before referee Chris Kavanagh overturned the original decision of his assistant after being invited to take another look at the footage. The Blues managed to win despite being without four first-team players that included Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker.
De Bruyne came off injured with a thigh injury in the Champions League draw with Inter in September and has not played since. He returned to light training a few days ago but was not seen at Molineux and Guardiola does not expect to have him available to face Sparta Prague on Wednesday.
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Stones explanation
Referee Chris Kavanagh made the call not to disallow John Stones’ dramatic late winner against Wolves – even after a VAR prompt for an on-field review. Stones, who appeared to have snatched victory for City in the dying moments once more, had already celebrated his headed goal before realising it was subject to a VAR check.
When Stones emerged from jubilant fans in the stands, he was greeted with the news that his goal was under referral. VAR official Stuart Attwell advised Kavanagh to consult the pitch-side monitor following the initial disallowance of the goal due to Bernardo Silva’s presence near Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa at the moment of the game-defining header.
It’s often the case when referees head to the screen, a reversal of the decision is on the cards. This time proved no different as Kavanagh overturned the decision and awarded the goal, leading to ecstatic celebrations for City.
