Manchester City didn't have things their own way in the second half, and didn't manage to add much to their goal difference as they wasted numerous chances to put the game to bed. It's a sad day for Wolves though as they drop out of the Premier League and a return to the Championship after a season of turmoil.
Wolves Wanderers Vs. Manchester City, 2012 Premier League: City Win 2-0 As Wolves Are Relegated
It wasn’t the start to the second half Manchester City wanted. Wolves came flying out the traps, and looked the better team up until the hour mark.
Matt Jarvis did lots of good down the left hand side, but unfortunately nobody was willing to gamble on the ball making it into the danger zone. Jarvis himself spooned an effort wide on 53 minutes after good work from Michael Kightly on the opposite flank.
Wolves' best chance of the game came on 53 minutes when Steven Fletcher rose the highest as the ball bumped, bobbled and bounced around the City penalty area, forcing Joe Hart to be at full stretch and tip away for a corner kick.
Indeed City were under so much pressure Roberto Mancini made the unusual swap of Nigel De Jong on for David Silva, and it was needed as the away side simply couldn't get out of their own half for long periods of the second half, never mind add to their goal difference as would have been the intention.
In the 70th minute Karl Henry nearly had all Wolves' good work undone as he casually lost possession to Carlos Tevez near his own penalty area, but the home side's captain will have been thankful of the covering defenders who didn't make life easy for the Argentinean forward, and the shot was eventually blocked by Richard Stearman.
In the 73rd minute Tevez was brought to the ground on the halfway line. There was some moans from the Wolves side as to the awarding of the freekick, but while they complained and lost their concentration Tevez took the kick quickly. It was given back to Tevez, who played a defence-splitting ball to Samir Nasri, who unlike the first half made no mistake in slamming past De Vries.
To add insult to injury, or in this case injury to insult, Sebastian Bassong pulled up injured during the play clutching his hamstring and was immediately substituted and replaced by Christophe Berra.
Adam Johnson, recently on as a substitute, nearly made it 3-0 on 75 minutes when his right-footed drive was aimed towards the bottom corner of De Vries' goal, but the big Dutchman, who had quite a good game on his league debut managed to claw it away.
Sergio Aguero should later have made it 3-0 in the 81st minute after being put clean through on goal by Johnson, however rather than simply smash the ball past De Vries, the striker chose to dawdle and in the midst of all this wondering what to do was tackled by the recovering defender. Roberto Mancini was absolutely furious on the near touchline.
As the game closed out, on 84 minutes, Richard Stearman nearly added a contender for own goal of the season as his bullet header was superbly turned round the post by De Vries. From the resulting corner, Joleon Lescott headed wide of the front post as a third goal simply wouldn't come.
Meanwhile Wolves, for all their early endeavor were reduced to pot-shots from distance, all of which were easily picked off by Hart.
Wolves showed plenty of fight throughout the second half, but unfortunately for them there just wasn’t the quality in the squad to get back in the game. Ultimately, this lack of quality though has cost them their Premier League status as they required an unlikely win before kick off to stave off relegation for another week.
It's all over for them now, but for the visitors the title race is very much back on.
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