Kevin De Bruyne receives farewell post Man City`s victory over Bournemouth

Belgian midfield star Kevin De Bruyne received a fond farewell from Manchester City in a vital 3-1 win over Bournemouth on Tuesday to boost their chances of Champions League football next season.

A stunning long-range strike from Omar Marmoush (14th minute), coupled with goals from Bernardo Silva (38th min) and Nico Gonzalez (89th min) lifted City up into third spot in the English Premier League (EPL).

Mateo Kovacic’s red card 20 minutes from time could have given Bournemouth hope, but Lewis Cook was also sent off just minutes later for a lunge on Gonzalez. Nevertheless, the visitors still scored a consolation goal via Daniel Jebbison (90+6 min).

There was further cause for celebration for the Sky Blues late on when Ballon d’Or winner Rodri made his first appearance since September as a substitute having recovered from a serious knee injury. 

City’s win means a point against Fulham on the final matchday will seal a top-five finish, thanks to their superior goal difference over sixth-placed Aston Villa.

Strong reply to FA Cup loss 

Just three days on from the disappointment of losing the FA Cup final to Crystal Palace, City had to raise themselves on an emotional night at the Etihad in De Bruyne’s final home match. 

To commemorate the occasion, City had unveiled a mosaic and named a road at the club’s training ground after the Belgian, earlier in the day. After the game, they also announced plans to build a statue to honour the Belgian.

De Bruyne, who won six EPL titles and a Champions League during his time in Manchester, was also greeted by a huge ‘King Kev’ banner as he led the teams out.

‘It’s an absolute pleasure’ 

“It’s been an unbelievable ride, an absolute pleasure. I want to bring joy to people, play offensive football, be creative, that is what I am on the pitch and I want to have fun and I think we had a lot of fun over the 10 years. I’m super proud [with what we’ve achieved],” said De Bruyne.

The 33-year-old has scored 108 goals to go with 177 assists in over 400 appearances at the club, leaving his mark as one of the greatest players to grace the EPL.

The KDB show at man City!

421
No. of games played for Man City; only 12 players have played more games

108 
No. of goals scored for Man City; only 6 players have a better tally for the Sky Blues

119
No. of EPL assists for Man City; only behind Man United’s Ryan Giggs

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