Kevin De Bruyne inspires Man City to yet another comeback against Crystal Palace | OneFootball

Kevin De Bruyne gave Manchester City fans a taste of what they’re going to miss as he pulled the strings in their 5-2 win over Crystal Palace.

Over the international break, news broke that De Bruyne would be leaving Man City at the end of his contract in the summer. It will mark 10 years for De Bruyne at Man City, first joining from Wolfsburg late in the 2015 summer transfer window.

Saturday’s game against Crystal Palace was De Bruyne’s 415th appearance for Man City, scoring 107 goals and providing 167 assists across all competitions. And Palace were a fitting opponent for De Bruyne’s first home game since the news of his imminent departure broke.

Palace were De Bruyne’s first Premier League opponents as a Man City player, with the Belgian coming off the bench against the Eagles in September 2015. He’s since been directly involved in 14 league goals against the Eagles, scoring five and providing nine assists. Only against Southampton has De Bruyne provided as many goal involvements in the Premier League.

De Bruyne took his tally to 14 with a goal and an assist against Palace, in what was an inspired performance at the Etihad. And boy did Man City need him.

It was a disastrous start for Pep Guardiola’s side at the Etihad, pulled apart by their visitors. Palace were well-worth their 0-2 lead after 21 minutes, with goals from Eberechi Eze and Chris Richards. It looked as though one of the best away teams in the Premier League this season would keep going, heading for an 11th match unbeaten on the road. Palace could have been 0-3 up too, but Eze saw a second goal ruled out for offside — checked and confirmed by semi-automated offside.

But then came the De Bruyne Show. By half-time, Man City were level, in a comeback led by the Belgian. He scored Man City’s first goal with a wonderful free-kick and was involved in the build up to the second. If Ilkay Gundogan hadn’t miskicked the ball into the path of goalscorer Omar Marmoush, De Bruyne might have had an assist.

De Bruyne did get the assist just after half-time, with a nice pass to Mateo Kovacic to set up Man City’s third. In total, De Bruyne created three chances against Palace, more than any other Man City player. He also led Man City for shots with six in total, hitting the target twice.

The Belgian was playing on the right of Man City’s attack, which did keep him less involved as the rest of the midfielders, but it didn’t stop him pulling the strings. He had 60 touches during his time on the pitch, attempting 37 passes. Those pale in comparison to a lot of his teammates. But the important stat for Man City’s attack was his 22 passes in the final third, with only three of his teammates managing more.

“There won’t be any club in Europe that would not want Kevin De Bruyne in their side, if he decides to stay in Europe,” Joe Cole told TNT Sports after the game.

“I think he’s still capable of affecting games at the very, very top level. Am I being naughty here? It would be great to see him stay in the Premier League, it would be.

“He’s a joy to watch. Today was an absolute joy. You come to football and you want to watch players like that. It was a real privilege”

The win means Man City have now on 20 points from losing positions in the Premier League this season, more than any other team. They’ve also moved up to fourth in the Premier League, two points clear of sixth-placed Newcastle United.