EMMANUEL Adebayor's second goal in two Premier League games proved decisive as City downed Wolves at Eastlands.

The Togo forward scored after good work from Carlos Tevez in the 17th minute as the Blues made it two wins from two despite missing a host of chances.

There is certainly plenty of room for optimism around the Blues camp just now, and room for improvement given Mark Hughes’ on-going pursuit of Joleon Lescott.

Developments in the long-running transfer saga are on-going and it is expected Lescott will leave Everton for City at some point over the next week.

And, with a trip to crisis club Portsmouth next Sunday, City could well find themselves heading into the international break among the Premier League’s pace-setters.

The reason that has been stated most often for City not being tipped among the title contenders is that it will be difficult to get so many new players to gel.

Yet it is also true that the process should be at its most difficult right now, before getting progressively easier as the season wears on.

If that is true, the Blues should be regarded as contenders because their play in fluid as it is.

The goal was a prime example. When Jody Craddock nodded a Wayne Bridge cross into the path of Tevez, the Argentinian should have been struggling to locate Adebayor given both are new boys.

A collective transfer fee of £50million clearly brings some telepathy though, for Tevez merely cushioned the ball into Adebayor’s path, inviting the fierce finish that followed.

It was part of an awesome period of attacking play from the hosts, who must have been scratching their heads at how they failed to score more than one.

Robinho chances

Robinho had a couple of decent chances, the second significantly easier than the first, only to land the ball straight into Wayne Hennessey’s midriff.

The Brazilian attempted to make amends with a firm drive to the near post that nearly caught the Wolves keeper off-guard.

Adebayor had another opportunity, as did Tevez, while Gareth Barry was not too far away with a curling free-kick.

It was all very impressive. Yet what must have given Mark Hughes even more satisfaction was the save Shay Given made just before half-time.

In times gone by, City’s tendency to self-destruct would have seen them give away a stupid goal in games like this one.

Hughes was trying to stop exactly that when he brought Given south from Newcastle last January.

And when Matthew Jarvis gave central defensive duo Kolo Toure and Richard Dunne the slip, Given leapt superbly to claw away a shot that would otherwise have ended up in the top right corner.

As befits brothers who apparently do not talk to each other, Noel and Liam Gallagher watched on in different parts of the stadium, although they were no doubt sharing a common contentment at their team’s fortunes.

City’s celebrity supporters really would have had something to celebrate if their team had taken just one of the three gilt-edged chances that came their way at the start of the second half.

But Stephen Ireland inexplicably pushed his shot wide after taking Robinho’s return pass, Adebayor’s first touch was too heavy, forcing him to go wide and fire into the side-netting shortly afterwards, then Robinho drifted offside before tapping home Wright-Phillips’ low cross to the far post.

So, instead of a comfortable cruise to the final whistle, City were forced to endure a lengthy period of Wolves pressure, in which Keogh was the central figure.

He was mighty unlucky not to score too when Kolo Toure touched Hennessey’s long punt downfield into his path.

Instead, his shot came crashing back off the crossbar, Given knowing on this occasion, he would have been able to do nothing to keep it out had it been just a couple of inches lower.

Wolves maintained their offensive, without getting any nearer to breaching Given’s goal; Tevez among the men replaced as the hosts wound down the clock.

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