Stunning fightback destroys City’s title hopes

immense power to muscle Benjamin Mendy off the ball and tee up Raul Jimenez to level eight minutes from time on a controversial evening when VAR again played a major role.

The comeback was capped by Matt Doherty when he drilled in a low left-foot finish in the 89th minute.

Molineux exploded in delight and there will have been rejoicing on Merseyside too, with Liverpool’s 13-point lead at the top of the table remaining intact.

The game had exploded into life in the 12th minute when Ederson was dismissed having raced out of his area and brought down Diogo Jota.

The quicksilver Portuguese forward was played in by Conor Coady and lifted the ball over the City keeper before he was sent sprawling.

Referee Martin Atkinson had no hesitation in producing a red card. Substitute keeper

Claudio Bravo came on, with Sergio Aguero, on his first start in a month, having to make way.

Bravo’s first job was to save from Joao Moutinho’s subsequent free-kick.

But it was the visitors who took the lead in remarkable, protracted circumstances.

First Riyad Mahrez went down in theatrical style in a challenge with Leander Dendoncker.

Atkinson turned to VAR, which showed Dendoncker had pulled back Mahrez by his shoulder and trodden on his foot.

Raheem Sterling took the resulting penalty but Rui Patricio got down well to his right to make a save.

VAR showed the keeper was

REF: off his line and that Coady had encroached.

Sterling retook the spot-kick and Patricio saved in near identical fashion, but this time the ball rebounded straight to the City forward to tap into an empty net.

A handful of idiots among the Wolves fans threw objects onto the pitch, including a silver hip flask.

City seemed to content to sit back and protect their lead, knowing they could always break using the pace of Sterling.

Those tactics continued to frustrate Wolves and limit the hosts to long-range shots from outside the area by Raul Jimenez and Ruben Neves, which Bravo dealt with easily.

After the break Wolves at least created a clear-cut chance

ATT: when Jimenez’s clever chipped pass found Jota, but the forward was unable to keep his shot down.

Wolves were made to pay for wasting the chance when Kevin De Bruyne superbly released Sterling down the middle in the 50th minute and he lofted the ball over Patricio for his 11th league goal of the season.

Traore set-up a grandstand finish five minutes later when he halved the arrears with a thunderous low drive from outside the box which went in off a post.

Jimenez levelled with eight minutes to go and Doherty then curled a shot into the bottom left corner.

Sterling might have snatched a last-gasp draw, but his superb free-kick clipped the top of the bar.

MATCH STATS