Reijnders and Haaland shine as Man City thrash Wolves

Erling Haaland scored twice and Tijjani Reijnders shone on his Premier League debut as Manchester City began the season by thrashing Wolves at Molineux.

Box-to-box midfielder Reijnders joined City from AC Milan in the summer and showcased his talent by contributing to three goals in City's victory.

Pep Guardiola's side ended last season in disappointing fashion, without winning a major trophy for the first time in eight years, but started this campaign with a statement victory.

Talisman Haaland had nodded over on the stretch early on but converted from close range following Rico Lewis' low cross.

Dutchman Reijnders was heavily involved in the opening goal and doubled City's lead on the break just four minutes later with an unerring finish low into the bottom corner.

The game was over as a contest on the hour mark as Reijnders pulled the ball back for the onrushing Haaland to drill in an emphatic finish, while Rayan Cherki came off the bench to convert late on.

Wolves did cause the City backline some issues but Marshall Munetsi's powerful header was ruled out for offside, while Jorgen Strand Larsen poked an effort into the side-netting.

Rayan Ait-Nouri flashed over a volley against his old club, while goalkeeper James Trafford impressed on his City debut in the absence of Ederson - an assured first start with a clean sheet and three points.

Analysis: Reijnders makes his mark

It is very early in the season but City's dominant performance puts them top of the table, where they have finished in six of the past eight campaigns.

At the heart of their brilliance was midfielder Reijnders, who was making his Premier League debut having played three times for City at the Club World Cup in the summer.

His display showed why he may become a fans' favourite for City.

An action-packed performance from the 27-year-old laid the platform for fast starters City to record their 14th opening-game victory in the past 15 seasons.

The visitors were finding it difficult to make inroads on the back five of Wolves early on, but Reijnders' delightful piece of skill contributed to breaking the deadlock and they took total control thereafter.

The former AC Milan man showed quick feet before lifting a sumptuous ball through to Lewis, who fed Haaland to convert the simplest of finishes from close range.

City lacked athleticism in the middle of the park last season and the second goal showed what Reijnders will bring to this team, bursting forward and coolly slotting in from Bobb's lay-off.

And he displayed his guile with a cleverly disguised pass for Haaland's second goal as the City striker took his tally to 87 Premier League goals in just 98 games, while Cherki netted a fourth from outside the box a day before his 22nd birthday.

For Wolves, it was a disappointing start to the new campaign and Vitor Pereira's men have now gone five games without a win in the league.

It could have been a different story had Munetsi not wandered offside for his disallowed goal, and they have now been beaten in 10 of their past 11 meetings with City.

Wing-back David Moller Wolfe was given his first start while Fer Lopez and Jhon Arias came off the bench to make their Wolves debuts, but City were out of sight by then.

What's next for these teams?

Wolves: They travel to Bournemouth next Saturday (15:00 BST) before hosting West Ham in the second round of the Carabao Cup on 26 August.

Manchester City: Guardiola's side host Tottenham on Saturday lunchtime (12:30), followed by a trip to Brighton to round off the month.

Where next?

New-look Man City aim to bounce back amid uncertainty