It was evident during Manchester City’s 4-2 win over Crystal Palace yesterday that the magic of Kevin De Bruyne is showing no signs of fading. The Belgian international was at his inspirational best to inspire his team to a vital victory at Selhurst Park. He scored two and picked up an assist as he lifted his side to a precious three points.
It was evident early in yesterday’s match that Manchester City would need to fight and scrap to pick a vital victory. Crystal Palace scored early through Jean-Phillipe Mateta in the third minute to get proceedings underway. The hosts were determined to make Manchester City fight for all three points, and the champions needed someone to inspire them to victory.
READ MORE: City player ratings from their crucial 4-2 win over Crystal Palace.
It was Kevin De Bruyne who stepped up when City needed a hero. His 13th-minute wonder strike levelled the game. De Bruyne’s goal was one that showed all of the quality in his game. Throughout his Manchester City career, he has provided such moments, and he was at it again yesterday at Selhurst Park. It was a pivotal goal that saw the two teams go in level at the interval.
A gem of a goal against Crystal Palace! 💎
Outrageous from @KevinDeBruyne 💫 pic.twitter.com/18VRFcAi7x
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 6, 2024
Manchester City needed to put their foot down in the second half, and they did just that. After Rico Lewis gave the champions the lead in the 47th minute, it was Kevin De Bruyne who provided the decisive moments to seal City’s victory. He provided another sublime assist for Erling Haaland to score in the 66th minute. De Bruyne then put the game to bed with his 100th goal for the club in the 70th minute to seal a critical Manchester City victory.
City goal no. 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ for @KevinDeBruyne! 👑🩵 pic.twitter.com/CLVYPNwVOf
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 6, 2024
It was clear that the magic of Kevin De Bruyne still shines brightly after yesterday’s performance. Despite getting on in years, he is still a pivotal figure for the world champions and will have a key role to play this campaign. With Real Madrid up next for the European champions, De Bruyne looks poised for another big performance against the 14-time UEFA Champions League winners.
Speaking post-game Pep Guardiola was full of praise for his star midfielder. He said players like De Bruyne make the game easier for Manchester City. The City boss told the media: “Without him, we would not be able to win this. You talk about managers, but players like Kevin make this game easy. He has been one of the best players in the history of City. To sustain this for nine years at City, and have that consistency is amazing. The first goal is unbelievable. The assist is unbelievable. Really good.”
The magic of Kevin De Bruyne still shines through. His performance yesterday shows he is ready to play a pivotal role during the remainder of the season for Manchester City. They will need his heroics this week as they head to the Bernabeu to take Real Madrid in one of football’s most hostile environments.
