Dropping Erling Haaland worked out just fine for Manchester City.
The Premier League's top scorer was relegated to the bench after scoring just one goal in his previous eight games, and City responded to back-to-back defeats with a 2-0 win over last-placed Wolverhampton.
City's Tactical Shift Pays Off
Without Haaland, Omar Marmoush and Antoine Semenyo played as high wingers in a tweaked tactical setup and scored first-half goals for City. It was Semenyo's third goal in four games since joining from Bournemouth in an $87 million deal, and he also hit the crossbar in the second half.
Marc Guehi started after completing his move from Crystal Palace on Monday and helped shore up City's defense that was creaking in losses to Manchester United and Bodø/Glimt over the past week.
Haaland entered as a substitute in the 73rd minute but did not have a clear-cut chance. He is likely to return on Wednesday for City's vital Champions League game against Galatasaray.
"The energy was really good in the first half," Guardiola said. "The last 20-25 minutes were a bit flat but, considering the amount of games, it was a good result and hopefully we can take good energy for our game on Wednesday."
Second-placed City moved four points behind Arsenal, which hosts Manchester United on Sunday.
Tottenham Draws at Burnley
Cristian Romero equalized in the 90th minute to salvage a 2-2 draw for Tottenham at next-to-last Burnley.
It was a disappointing result for under-pressure Tottenham manager Thomas Frank, who was on the receiving end of criticism from his team's own fans during a home loss to West Ham last weekend, only to get some respite in a Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund midweek.
"The message to the fans, as I've said all the time, is that we're working very hard to make sure everything is going in the right direction," Frank said. "And that we'll keep doing that."
Fulham Beats Brighton
Harry Wilson's late strike earned a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Brighton.
West Ham Boosts Survival Bid
West Ham's bid to escape the Premier League relegation zone gathered pace after beating Sunderland 3-1.
It was a second straight victory for West Ham, which surged into a three-goal lead by the 43rd minute thanks to Crysencio Summerville's header, Jarrod Bowen's penalty, and a long-range strike by Mateus Fernandes.
Brian Brobbey scored for Sunderland in the second half.
West Ham, whose win at Tottenham last weekend was its first win in any competition since early November, stayed in the bottom three but was just two points behind fourth-to-last Nottingham Forest. Forest visits Brentford on Sunday.