Kevin De Bruyne played the hero on Friday as Manchester City edged Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0, moving into third place in the Premier League and snapping Wolves’ six-game winning streak.

De Bruyne scored the only goal of the match in the 35th minute—possibly his last at the Etihad Stadium—as he prepares to leave the club at season’s end. His calm, clinical finish came somewhat against the flow of play, with Wolves putting up a strong fight, including hitting the post twice through Rayan Ait-Nouri and Matheus Cunha.

Wolves started strong but faded after halftime. They remain in 13th place after suffering their first loss since February. City, meanwhile, now hold a two-point lead over Newcastle United and are four points ahead of Chelsea and Nottingham Forest, who still have games this weekend.

Wolves looked sharper early on and nearly scored in the 22nd minute when Cunha played in Jean Ricner-Bellegarde, who blew a chance to set up an easy goal by overhitting a pass to Marshall Munetsi. Five minutes later, Ait-Nouri struck the post and had his follow-up cleared off the line by Josko Gvardiol.

City eventually woke up, with Nico O’Reilly forcing a tough save from Wolves’ goalkeeper Jose Sa. Ten minutes before the break, Jeremy Doku found De Bruyne, who slotted in a side-footed shot to give City the lead.

Despite holding the advantage, City never looked completely in control. Cunha nearly equalized with a powerful strike off the post in the 56th minute, and Munetsi slipped at a crucial moment minutes later. A VAR check cleared Ait-Nouri after a hard challenge on Bernardo Silva, but Wolves couldn’t generate another real scoring opportunity.

City held on to secure their fourth straight league win.

Pep Guardiola downplayed the significance of Champions League qualification and a potential FA Cup title, saying it wouldn’t make up for what’s been an underwhelming season by City’s standards. But heading into this game, three straight wins had put them in strong position for a top-five finish. That momentum didn’t carry over early on Friday, as Wolves outmuscled and outplayed them for the first half-hour.

This season, City have often relied on flashes of individual brilliance rather than their usual team dominance. That pattern held true again as De Bruyne made a signature run to finish off a smooth team move for the game’s lone goal.

It may have been the final time fans at the Etihad see De Bruyne score in person, with just one home game left—against Bournemouth on May 20—before his departure. He received a standing ovation when subbed off late in the match.

City also got a boost with star striker Erling Haaland returning to the squad after injury, just in time for their final road game at Southampton and the upcoming FA Cup final.

The last time these two teams met, back in October at Wolves’ home ground Molineux, City won on a late header from John Stones, handing Wolves their fifth straight loss and leaving them in last place. Since then, Wolves have climbed the table and came into Friday’s matchup on their longest Premier League win streak ever.

They came out with confidence, but Bellegarde’s wasted assist and Ait-Nouri’s near miss cost them early. They lost possession before De Bruyne’s goal—midfielder Andre gave the ball away to Silva, and three quick passes later, City were ahead.

Wolves were also missing Jorgen Strand Larsen, their usual target man up front, which showed as the match wore on and they failed to create another clear chance.

Wolves manager Vitor Pereira, known for celebrating recent wins with fans at local pubs, will have to skip the pints this time, though he’ll likely take pride in his team’s performance.

Manager reactions:

Pep Guardiola: “If you look at the result, yes, we’ve improved. But if you look at the performance, we’re still far from where we want to be. Wolves were much better in the first 20 minutes. We got lucky. We know what we’re playing for—it is what it is.”

Vitor Pereira: “That’s soccer. I’m proud of my players. I told them we can lose a game, but we can’t lose our identity—our courage, ambition, commitment, and spirit. We showed all of that today. We just didn’t get the result.”