City slickers give Wolves a bit of a mauling

SOCCER: ENGLISH LEAGUE CUP: Wolves 2 Manchester City 5:MANCHESTER CITY are fast turning into English football's great entertainers.

It is a title that would have been impossible to imagine attributing to Roberto Mancini’s side last season but how else can we think of a team that has now scored 45 goals in 15 matches this term and registered 21 in their last 450 minutes of football.

They are staggering statistics by anyone’s standards and help to explain why Carlos Tevez’s brooding presence in the background is of so little concern.

The bad news for a weakened Wolverhampton Wanderers side swept aside by City’s reserves is that their first-team must confront the real thing at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. It is a frightening prospect on this evidence. Although Nenad Milijas put Wolves ahead, City reacted as if affronted, scoring three goals in quick succession before the interval to take the game away from Mick McCarthy’s side with the same ruthlessness that characterised their remarkable performance at Old Trafford.

Edin Dzeko struck twice, taking his tally for the season to 11 in all competitions, yet Adam Johnson’s display would have given Mancini just as much pleasure. Having failed to even make the substitutes’ bench on Sunday, the England winger produced the perfect response, scoring a superb goal and having a hand in the two others in City’s blitz before the break.

Although Mancini rested all XI of the side that started against Manchester United on Sunday he opted for a line-up featured a strike force of Dzeko and Samir Nasri, with Johnson drifting in from the flank to wreak havoc behind them.

Wolves made nine changes of their own but looked comfortable in the early stages and thoroughly deserved the lead that Milijas provided in the 18th minute following some fine work from Sam Vokes on the right flank. The striker embarrassed Kolo Toure, slipping the ball one side of the defender and running around him, before whipping in a low centre. Milijas got there first and although Adlene Guedioura almost got in his way, the Serbian swivelled before drilling a left-footed shot into the roof of the net.

City struck three times in as many minutes and the effervescent Johnson was involved on each occasion. The first arrived after a right-wing centre from Pablo Zabaleta that Jody Craddock was only able to glance in the direction of Dzeko. The striker teed the ball up for Johnson, who swept a splendid left-footed shot beyond Dorus De Vries. In the blink of an eye it was 2-0, Johnson’s threaded pass inviting Nasri to run inside the Wolves right-back Matt Doherty before spearing home a low drive.

Wolves were still coming to terms with the sight of City going in front when the visitors seized a third goal barely 60 seconds later. This time Johnson picked up the ball on the right-hand side and floated a cross towards the far post, where Scapuzzi was lurking. The 20-year-old Italian met the ball on the full and, although De Vries was well positioned to block, Dzeko was on hand to prod the ball over the line.

City were so relentless going forward and Scapuzzi added a fourth, the winger tapping home from no more than two yards after De Vries was unable to hold Nasri’s shot. Dzeko’s second and City’s fifth came at the end of a flowing move that involved Nasri and Scapuzzi, the Bosnian left with the simple task of stabbing past the horribly exposed De Vries.

Jamie O’Hara did pull back a consolation for Wolves, when he came off the substitutes’ bench to convert Stephen Ward’s cross, and he also came close to adding a second as the clock ticked down. By that point the travelling supporters had become a little frustrated. “We want six” they chanted.

WOLVERHAMPTON: De Vries, Elokobi, Craddock, Ward, Doherty, Edwards (Henry 67), Hunt, Milijas (Hammill 65), Guedioura, Vokes, Doyle (OHara 65). Booked: Craddock, Hunt. Subs not used: Hennessey, Johnson, Berra, Ebanks-Blake.

MAN CITY: Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Kolarov, Savic, K Toure, Johnson, Nasri (Suarez 67), De Jong, Razak (Milner 85), Dzeko, Scapuzzi (Rekik 73). Booked: Savic. Subs not used: Taylor, Bridge, Onuoha, Balotelli.

Guardian Service