De Bruyne strike hands Man City win over Wolves in key game for Champions League qualifying

De Bruyne is met with emotional cheers from the crowd after scoring the winner

Premier League - Manchester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - May 2, 2025 Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne celebrates scoring their first goal with Manchester City's Jeremy Doku Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff

Captain Kevin De Bruyne scored in his penultimate game at Etihad Stadium as Manchester City beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 on Friday to climb to third in the Premier League and boost their chances of Champions League qualification.

Pep Guardiola's men provisionally climbed one spot with 64 points after 35 games, two points ahead of fourth-placed Newcastle and four points ahead of both Chelsea and Nottingham Forest, who all have a game in hand. Wolves, who saw their remarkable run of six successive victories end, are 13th.

Wolves had the better chances in a nervy first-half before City broke the deadlock in the 35th minute when Jeremy Doku cut the ball back sharply from the left-hand side to De Bruyne who side-footed it home past Jose Sa.

The stadium crowd rose to chant "Oh, Kevin De Bruyne!" in an emotional moment. The 33-year-old announced last month that he would leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season, making Friday his second-last game at his home stadium in a sky-blue City shirt.