Erling Haaland, along with new signings Tijani Reynders and Ryan Cherki, combined forces as Manchester City comfortably beat Wolves 4-0 in their Premier League opener.
Haaland struck twice from a fine pass by Reynders and substitute Cherki added a fourth late on to set City on a confident quest for a seventh title in nine years at Molineux.
Reynders also played a significant role in both of Haaland's goals, in what was a particularly impressive start to the English top flight.
While it may be too early to say City have found the perfect replacement for Kevin De Bruyne, the Dutchman has shown promise.
His presence brought a dynamic to City's game that also surprised in other ways.
In particular, goalkeeper James Trafford was handed his debut while Ederson, who manager Pep Guardiola described as his “number one” this week, was absent from the squad amid speculation over his future.
The club later confirmed that the Brazilian's absence was due to illness: the 31-year-old player suffered from gastroenteritis.
John Stones returned to defence for the first time since February, while another new signing, Rayan Ait-Nouri, came on against the club he left this summer.
It was an emotional occasion for Wolves as they paid tribute before and during the match to their former striker Diogo Jote, who tragically died in a car crash last month.
The visitors quickly took the initiative but failed to create a clear chance until the 19th minute, when captain Bernardo Silva passed to Haaland, but the Norwegian, unable to cope with the tension, shot over the goal.
City had a few worrying moments when Wolves found themselves outside the defence.
Marshall Munitzi thought he had scored when he headed wide of Trafford from Matt Doherty's cross but he was clearly offside. Also Jean-Ricner Bellegarde
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
