Kevin De Bruyne delivered a masterclass performance as Manchester City roared back from two goals down to defeat Crystal Palace 5-2 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. Meanwhile, Arsenal’s hopes suffered a setback as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Brentford.
In what might be one of his final appearances at home before leaving at the end of the season, De Bruyne reminded fans why he’s been a pivotal part of City’s success over the past decade. The Belgian midfielder sparked the comeback after Crystal Palace stunned the home crowd by taking a 2-0 lead within the first 20 minutes.
Eberechi Eze opened the scoring for Palace, slotting home a pass from Ismaila Sarr. Chris Richards then doubled the lead, heading in from a corner after some sloppy defending from City. Palace nearly made it three, but Eze’s goal was ruled out for offside.
De Bruyne then took charge, curling a brilliant free-kick off the post to pull one back. Just minutes later, he headed the ball down for Omar Marmoush to equalize. The momentum fully shifted after halftime, with De Bruyne setting up Mateo Kovacic to give City the lead just two minutes into the second half.
City continued to dominate as goalkeeper Ederson provided a rare assist, launching the ball forward for James McAtee to make it 4-2. Nico O’Reilly capped off the victory with a stunning strike, sealing a memorable comeback.
“The performance of Kevin, as he has done for many years, was fantastic,” said City manager Pep Guardiola. “He helped us to break the momentum that was not good.”
At the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal’s title aspirations took a hit as they drew with Brentford. The Gunners now sit 10 points behind league leaders Liverpool. With only a few matches remaining, Liverpool could clinch the title as early as next weekend.
Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest’s push for a Champions League spot faltered after a 1-0 loss to Everton. Aston Villa took advantage, moving into the top five with a convincing 3-0 win over already-relegated Southampton, despite Marco Asensio missing two penalties.
