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The midfielder assists as City take the lead through Mateo Kovacic 80 seconds into the second half
Published : 12 Apr 2025, 08:22 PM
Kevin de Bruyne helped Manchester City stage a superb comeback from 2-0 down as he scored one and helped create two goals in an emphatic 5-2 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday.
City ended 11th-placed Palace's eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions, as they climbed to fourth in the standings, two points ahead of Chelsea and Newcastle United who have played fewer matches.
De Bruyne, who is set to leave City in the summer after 10 years at the club, said he wanted to help the team secure a place in the Champions League.
"We have been in the Champions League for the nine, 10 years that I've been here so I hope we can do that for the team next year and I'll just try to play good football like I've always done," the 33-year-old told the BBC.
Errors cost City as Palace scored twice in the first 21 minutes, with Eberechi Eze giving the visitors an eighth-minute lead through Ismaila Sarr's cross which evaded a sliding Josko Gvardiol to find the England winger.
Unmarked Eze struck the ball past out-of-position keeper Ederson to score his third league goal of the season.
Adam Wharton's inch-perfect corner led to Palace's second goal 13 minutes later, as Chris Richards nodded home from close range.
Eze found the net again in the 29th minute but the semi-automatic offside technology, which made its Premier League debut in this match, found him offside.
SHORT-LIVED
Palace's hopes proved to be short-lived, however, as City captain De Bruyne, who had hit the post earlier, stepped up to kickstart the hosts' comeback shortly after the half-hour mark.
With Daichi Kamada bringing down Nico Gonzalez 25 yards out, De Bruyne delivered a precise right-footed free kick that found the gap in the wall created by Ruben Dias and Gonzalez ducking.
City equalised three minutes later when James McAtee's cross into the box reached De Bruyne, who tried to set up Gundogan for a close-range finish but the German mistimed his shot, and the ball reached Omar Marmoush who made no mistake.
The hosts continued their dominance, scoring 80 seconds into the second half with De Bruyne sending Nico O'Reilly's short cross from inside the box to an onrushing Mateo Kovacic who scored from the edge of the box.
Nine minutes later, City keeper Ederson's long ball surprised the Palace defenders as McAtee beat their offside trap with a perfectly-timed run into the box, where he dribbled past Henderson to guide the ball into an empty net.
Ederson became the first Premier League keeper to record four assists in a single season.
"Everyone was up for the game and we wanted to prove a point that we're committed, and want to finish in the Champions League spots," McAtee told TNT Sports.
O'Reilly completed the rout with his first Premier League goal for City in the 79th minute, as Richards' attempt to clear McAtee's cross reached the 20-year-old whose shot took a deflection on its way into the net.
City, unbeaten in their last four league games, visit Everton next Saturday while Palace travel to Newcastle on Wednesday.
