Kevin De Bruyne was the hero as Manchester City climbed to third in the Premier League with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, whose six-game winning run came to an end.

De Bruyne scored what could be his final goal at the Etihad Stadium in the 35th minute, in his penultimate home game before leaving the club.

His calm finish came somewhat against the run of play as Vitor Pereira's revitalised visitors gave a good account of themselves, with Rayan Ait-Nouri and Matheus Cunha hitting the woodwork in either half.

But Wolves' threat faded as the second half went on and they stay 13th in the table following their first defeat since February.

City, meanwhile, sit two points clear of Newcastle United and four ahead of Chelsea and Nottingham Forest, with all of those teams in action between Saturday and Monday.

How the match unfolded

Wolves made the more confident start and could have gone ahead in the 22nd minute. Cunha's pass sent Jean Ricner-Bellegarde racing through, but he overhit a simple ball towards Marshall Munetsi, who was waiting for a tap-in.

The visitors carved out another glorious opening five minutes later, but Ait-Nouri's first shot bounced off the far post and his follow-up was scrambled off the line by Josko Gvardiol.

Nico O'Reilly forced a fingertip save from Jose Sa as City woke from their slumber, and they inched ahead 10 minutes before half-time, Jeremy Doku finding De Bruyne for an easy side-footed finish.

City still did not look entirely comfortable, though, and Cunha almost produced a stunning equaliser when he rattled the post from the edge of the box in the 56th minute.

Munetsi then lost his footing at the vital moment after an intelligent header from Cunha, while an Ait-Nouri challenge on Bernardo Silva was checked and cleared by the VAR for a potential red card.

But Wolves could not create another chance to level, with City holding firm for a fourth straight Premier League win.

De Bruyne's parting gift?

Guardiola insisted that salvaging UEFA Champions League qualification and winning the FA Cup would not make City's campaign any less disappointing, but things were looking up ahead of this game.

A run of three straight Premier League victories meant a top-five finish was in their hands, even more so after Forest, who City vanquished in the FA Cup semi-finals, lost to Brentford on Thursday.

That momentum did not carry into Friday's game, though, with City struggling to match Wolves' physicality and tenacity in a tepid first half-hour.

Far from the well-oiled machine that won four straight titles, City have relied on moments of individual quality this season, and it was a similar story here as De Bruyne made a trademark run into the area for his goal.

It could be the last time City's fans get to see De Bruyne celebrate at the Etihad, with only one home game – against Bournemouth on May 20 – remaining before he departs.

De Bruyne's moment of quality proved enough to push City towards Champions League qualification, and he was given a standing ovation when withdrawn late on.

With a trip to Southampton next up before the FA Cup final, there was another positive for City, with Erling Haaland returning to the squad after injury.

Nothing for Wolves to toast

When Wolves welcomed City to Molineux for the reverse fixture in October, a stoppage-time header from John Stones condemned them to a fifth straight Premier League defeat and left them bottom with a single point after eight games.

They entered Friday's rematch as close to City as they were to 17th-placed Ipswich Town in terms of points, enjoying their best-ever Premier League winning streak.

They started with a swagger befitting their status as the league's form team but failed to score, Bellegarde overcooking a square pass for Munetsi, before a combination of post and Gvardiol denied Ait-Nouri.

Perhaps they were overconfident in the build-up to De Bruyne's goal, with the otherwise excellent Andre surrendering possession to Silva. Three passes later, they were behind.

Haaland was not the only Norway striker to not appear on Friday, and as the second half wore on, Wolves missed the imposing figure of Jorgen Strand Larsen, who was absent with a knock.

Pereira has made a habit of appearing in local pubs to celebrate Wolves' recent wins, with "first the points, then the pints" becoming something of a catchphrase. While there were no points for him to toast today, he will be encouraged by their display.

Club reports

Man City report | Wolves report

Match officials

Referee: Peter Bankes. Assistants: Lee Betts, Nick Greenhalgh. Fourth official: Thomas Bramall VAR: Paul Tierney. Assistant VAR: Steve Meredith.