Kevin De Bruyne was the driving force behind Manchester City’s incredible comeback, as they overcame a two-goal deficit to defeat Crystal Palace 5-2 in the Premier League on Saturday. City’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League have been rekindled by this thrilling victory.
With a spectacular free-kick that shook the post in the 33rd minute, the 33-year-old maestro started the comeback and set the tone for the rest of the game. Omar Marmoush and Mateo Kovacic both scored goals in the first half thanks in large part to De Bruyne. Then, with a deft assist from goalie Ederson, who sadly had to leave the game due to injury, James McAtee added the fourth goal. Later, Nico O’Reilly completed the decisive win.
Despite De Bruyne’s announcement last week that he is to quit Manchester City at the end of the season after ten years of outstanding service, this game demonstrated his unmatched quality.
De Bruyne’s skill was on full display despite his recent injury struggles, as demonstrated by his 119th Premier League assist, which set up Kovacic’s goal.
“I would say that I haven’t had any pain over the last six weeks, and that makes a huge difference,” said De Bruyne. “I feel free and capable of training hard now, even though it has been difficult. I want to continue playing even if I have no idea what will happen next. Let’s see how it turns out.
Crystal Palace had already taken a 21-minute lead thanks to goals from Chris Richards and Eberechi Eze, which made City significantly step up their game.
With this crucial win, City has moved up to fourth place, ahead of Chelsea and Newcastle, who still have games left to play for England’s five Champions League spots. The City team is now only two points behind Nottingham Forest, who are in third place and will play Everton later on Saturday.
Arsenal, in second place, will host Brentford in the Champions League quarterfinals against Real Madrid, while seventh-place Aston Villa, also aiming for a Champions League spot, will go to already-relegated Southampton.
