Man City was without a number of important players at Molineux as injuries to Bernardo Silva, John Stones, and Kevin De Bruyne persisted. Rodrigo, a midfielder, was given a one-match suspension after snagging Morgan Gibbs-White by the throat during the team’s victory over Nottingham Forest one week prior.

More bad news for the reigning champion was revealed prior to kickoff when coach Pep Guardiola was prohibited from directing because of a rule change. Coaches who received four yellow cards during the previous season were prohibited from overseeing one game. But, in an effort to curb coaches’ overreactions, the limit this season is three yellow cards.

In addition to two yellow cards from the Premier League games against Burnley and Nottingham Forest, Guardiola also collected a yellow card during the 0-1 loss to Newcastle in the third round of the League Cup throughout the week. The Spanish coach must therefore sit in the Molineux stands and is not permitted to stand in the technical area.

Man City had a rough start as a result, giving up a goal in the thirteenth minute. Neto raced into the penalty box, crossed Ruben Dias into the net, and took out Phil Foden and Nathan Ake on the right wing. The Portuguese center-back scored what was considered an own goal.

At the start of the second half, Man City’s striker Julian Alvarez scored a late equalizer after Erling Haaland’s attempt was stopped and he did not make much of an impact. The 2022 World Cup winner took a free kick to the left wing, and he placed the ball over the barrier and into the upper corner of the goal. Jose Sa, the goalkeeper, touched the ball but was unable to stop it.

On September 19, following Man City’s 3-1 victory over Red Star Belgrade in the opening Group G Champions League encounter, Alvarez scored his second career free kick. Neither Kylian Mbappe nor Haaland, the two strikers currently regarded as the finest in the world, have ever achieved this statistic.