Kevin De Bruyne leaves the City stage. Here’s Will Unwin’s report, so it’s time for me to say goodbye, too.
KDB speaks:
Manchester is home. Manchester is where these little kids are born. I came here with my wife, Michele, to stay here for a long time. I didn’t expect to be here 10 years to do what we have as a club, supporters, my teammates.
We won everything. We made the city, the club bigger. Now they’re going to take over.
I wanted to play with creativity, I wanted to play with passion. I wanted to enjoy football and I hope and think everyone enjoyed it.
Everybody here has pushed me so hard from inside and outside the club to be the best version of myself.
It’s been an absolute honour to play with these guys. I’ve made so many friends for life.
Time for De Bruyne to speak some more, once the fans stop chanting. The tears are coming, from him and Pep. A video tribute is played on the big screen as former City players and his family share messages.
There’s a light show at the Etihad as Kevin De Bruyne gets a guard of honour, walking through it with his young family.
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Kevin De Bruyne speaks to Sky Sports:
“It’s been unbelievable, to have the 10 years that I had. It’s been an unbelievable ride.
“I wanted to have fun and we had a lot of fun these 10 years.
On his open-goal miss: “Terrible, terrible, terrible. There’s no excuses. My son is going to be very tough on me.”
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FULL-TIME: Manchester City 3-1 Bournemouth
No clean sheet but City have three points. Kevin De Bruyne can do his farewell laps around the ground.
A wayward pass back from Nunes is seized upon by Jebbison, who beats Dias to it, and the Bournemouth forward slots in despite Ederson getting a chunk on it.
GOAL! Manchester City 3-1 Bournemouth (Jebbison 90+6)
A strange way to finish proceedings.
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90+5 min Doku has space to venture into on the right but resists as City recycle the ball around.
90+4 min Akanji shields the ball to win City a goalkick. ‘Oh, Kevin De Bruyne’ gets another play from the fans.
90+2 min We have six minutes left to play as City wheel through some more subs. Doku, Bobb and Grealish enter the fray.
It’s a beautifully taken goal by Nico González, breaking through the middle of the field to pick up a dinked pass by Matheus Nunes. He has an option to his left but goes on his own, shimmying away before curling in from the edge of the area.
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GOAL! Manchester City 3-0 Bournemouth (González 89)
That wraps things up.
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88 min Madness from Kepa as he finds himself in the centre circle, trying to win the ball. He doesn’t get it but Zabarnyi cleans up behind him.
87 min Brooks continues his lively work but his low ball across goal from the left can’t find a teammate.
86 min Bournemouth patiently work it around the City area before Soler’s cross is blocked out for a corner. It doesn’t cause any bother.
84 min Kerkez has gone off for Soler, while Jebbison has replaced Evanilson.
82 min Here he comes, the Ballon D’Or winner. Haaland is off and he gives Rodri a big hug. The midfield general is back from a lengthy injury lay-off.
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81 min Marmoush lines it up … and curls the ball wide. City fans are getting excited about the sight of Rodri getting ready to come on.
80 min It’s a shame that De Bruyne’s off because Haaland’s won a free-kick just outside the D.
79 min Bernardo Silva, still hopping about like a seven-year-old after a bag of Haribo, does his dirty work at the back to nick the ball off Kerkez.
77 min City play pass-pass-pass, sucking out the game’s intensity.
76 min Nico Gonzalez is up and about and the game resumes, both sides on equal footing.
RED CARD! Cook sent off for Bournemouth
73 min Smith, on at right-back for Bournemouth, crosses after finding acres of space. Oh, what’s this … another red! Lewis Cook, with his studs high, rashly jumps into a challenge on Nico in the centre circle and it’s a straightforward red.
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71 min City should still be fine from here, right?
69 min That’s it for Kevin De Bruyne at the Etihad. He gets called off and receives a rousing ovation. A club legend and one of the finest midfielders the Premier League has seen. Nico Gonzalez is on.
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RED CARD! Kovacic sent off for Manchester City
67 min Out of nowhere, some drama. Gvardiol misplaces a backpass and Evanilson latches on to it, though he’s still miles out from goal. Kovacic, the last man back for City, pulls the striker down and receives a straight red.
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66 min The corner is diverted away but City string together pass after pass, with Bournemouth forced to huff and puff.
65 min Marmoush wants another banger: he tries a curler from distance this time, and a deflection brings another corner.
64 min Zabarnyi gets there in the nick of time to stop Haaland inside the Bournemouth area. City’s consolation is a corner.
63 min Brooks breaks down the left but he only has Evanilson to play to in the middle … the cross finds Ederson.
62 min Rodri gets loads of love as he warms up on the touchline. How they’ve missed him this season.
61 min Bournemouth are seeing more of the ball but Kovacic slides to intercept as City break, the game now one of open spaces and more end-to-end.
59 min Semenyo turns on the blasters, cutting in from the right and letting fly from inside the D … but he goes for power over placement and lashes wide.
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58 min Brooks has been impressive since coming on and Bournemouth are starting to working it nicely down the left-hand side, trying to carve out space for Kerkez.
56 min Kerkez crosses and has runners waiting in the middle … but Brooks, stretching every sinew, can’t get his right foot on the end of it.
55 min … De Bruyne whips an outswinger that doesn’t deliver any danger.
54 min De Bruyne’s shot inside the area is blocked by Huijsen and City have a corner …
53 min Semenyo commits a couple of fouls in quick succession. It’s been a pretty dull start to the second half.
51 min De Bruyne breaks free through the middle and tries to play in Marmoush but the move ends with Nunes striking high and wide from range.
50 min Kerkez is starting to look a threat but has his cross from the left blocked.
49 min Semenyo intercepts to kick-start a Bournemouth move but City retreat quickly.
48 min The ‘Oh, Kevin De Bruyne’ chants continue to ring out.
47 min Bournemouth attack down the left, with the dangerous Kerkez whipping in a cross. Evanilson gets a head on it … but with no power or direction.
46 min The game resumes with Bournemouth making a change: Brooks replaces Kluivert.
A correction on that Evanilson miss after the half-hour mark; the cross met his right shin, not the foot. It would’ve been one of the finest team goals of the season.
That Marmoush goal was rather cracking. “A slo-mo of that shot shows the striker with both feet several feet off the ground immediately after impacting the ball,” writes Tim Smith. “Talk about putting everything into a shot. Genuinely, unstoppable thunderbarstard!”
Shaun in Nottingham writes in about that De Bruyne miss.
He’s going to get a ton of ‘miss of the season’ comments and all that stuff, but as a striker who scored a lot of goals (several hattricks, some 5s some 4s) I have some important details to consider.
Firstly, the ball is slightly behind him, and secondly it’s at pace, so he has to take it with his ‘wrong’ foot as he’s slightly ahead of the ball. Finally, crucially, watch it closely and you’ll see the ball pop up, so it’s easy to shin or slice that one upwards.
I did the same thing once, but put it over the bar.
Anyway, just saying. Details are important.
HALF-TIME: Manchester City 2-0 Bournemouth
Manchester City have been largely untroubled. Their only frustration will be De Bruyne blasting the bar when he had an open goal in front of him.
45+1 min A terrific block from Nunes denies Kluivert inside the City area, though he didn’t really nail the strike to begin with.
45 min De Bruyne’s ball in is dinked and Kepa punches away before Gündogan unleashes from outside the area … Kepa reacts well to save with so many shirts blocking his view. We have two minutes added on.
44 min Time for another Bournemouth yellow as Araujo takes down Gvardiol, handing City a free-kick on the left. The De Bruyne chants resume as he stands over the ball alongside Silva.
42 min City are wheeling the ball around with total calm.
Bournemouth are a touch sloppy as City attack and attack, with Kovacic playing the ball into the area, Gündogan seizing on to it to deliver a pull-back, and Bernardo Silva, tracked by no one, is on hand by the six-yard line to lace a low finish past Kepa.
GOAL! Manchester City 2-0 Bournemouth (Silva 38)
Silva gets in on the fun and City are in total control.
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36 min Huijsen goes into the book for a foul on Gündogan. Might as well be a bit naughty before the move abroad.
35 min Ederson misplaces a pass from the back to find Bournemouth’s Tavernier; he sets up for a long-range shot that is blocked.
32 min Nearly a stunning team goal from Bournemouth. Huijsen dinks a first-time ball over the top for Tavernier to chase on to on the left, and he crosses with his first touch, too. Evanilson meets it inside the area, stretching out to strike with his right foot … but the shot rattles the post.
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31 min Kovacic dinks a ball over to Nunes on the right before the lively Marmoush plays in Gündogan … but the offside flag goes up after the German midfielder has his shot blocked.
30 min Bournemouth have had little to shout about so far, with Gvardiol easily bouncing Kluivert out of the way to win the ball.
26 min The City crowd have gone quiet, still in disbelief.
25 min De Bruyne misses an open goal! That’s unbelievable. City smoothly work it down the field, with the ball played across goal by Marmoush to De Bruyne, ready to strike first time inside the six-yard box. But he hits the bar!
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22 min Nearly a De Bruyne-Haaland classic. The midfielder crosses from the left, with the striker lingering at the back post. He goes for the acrobatic, trying to divert the ball in with the outside of his left boot, raised sky-high. Kepa saves – perhaps a header was more suitable.
21 min City are starting to get their groove on, the confidence now there after taking the lead.
20 min Kovacic loses his footing in the middle of the park but recovers his balance to keep City ticking. Haaland holds the ball up nicely to play to Gvardiol on the left, but the full-back’s pass into the area fails to find a teammate.
18 min Ederson collects from a Bournemouth free-kick and tries to get City moving on the counter. Semenyo is having to do plenty of defensive work out on the wing, with Gvardiol pushing high for City.
Omar Marmoush picks up the ball centrally from way out, sees plenty of space in front and advances. From around 30 yards he decides to let fly, the ball threatening to go way over the bar … but no, it drops to find the top left corner. He’s moved on quickly from that penalty miss in the cup final.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Bournemouth (Marmoush 14)
A staggering, swerving, dipping hit gives City the lead!
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14 min Bernardo Silva drops deep to get City moving and plays to Gvardiol on the left … but Semenyo does an excellent job tracking back.
12 min Bournemouth get their high press working as Ederson goes long to Haaland – but Zabarnyi and Huijsen have not been properly threatened so far, cleaning up at the back.
9 min Bournemouth are camped behind the ball, with City searching for an opening. De Bruyne finds it, threading a pass through the lines for Matheus Nunes to run on to but Kepa is quick off his line and denies the right-back.
7 min De Bruyne finds himself in that right channel from which he has released so many delicious crosses over the years. His ball into the mixer is headed away before Kovacic lets loose from outside the box, his low shot just wide of the post.
6 min Marmoush finds Silva in the Bournemouth area but his first touch lets him down and he can’t pick out a teammate with a pull-back.
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4 min De Bruyne shows off his vision with a reverse pass to Bernardo Silva, who is driving into the area, but the move quickly breaks down.
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3 min Some lax work at the back from City sees Justin Kluivert break through for a chance in the area, but he’s off balance as he strikes and fails to properly threaten Ederson.
2 min No dramas from the throw as City get their passing game going.
1 min Bournemouth push forward as Antoine Semenyo gets ready to launch a long throw from the right …
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Peeeeep!
Manchester City kick things off, moving from left to right on my screen. Let’s go!
Manchester City unveil a ‘King’ tifo dedicated to De Bruyne. It’s all about him right now … can Bournemouth spoil the party and complete a league double?
Here’s how we’re looking before tonight’s fixtures:
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 37 | 45 | 83 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 37 | 34 | 71 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 37 | 22 | 66 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 37 | 20 | 66 |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 37 | 9 | 66 |
| 6 | Man City | 36 | 24 | 65 |
| 7 | Nottm Forest | 37 | 13 | 65 |
| 8 | Brighton | 37 | 4 | 58 |
| 9 | Brentford | 37 | 9 | 55 |
| 10 | Fulham | 37 | 2 | 54 |
| 11 | AFC Bournemouth | 36 | 12 | 53 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 36 | -2 | 49 |
| 13 | Everton | 37 | -3 | 45 |
| 14 | Wolverhampton | 36 | -13 | 41 |
| 15 | West Ham | 37 | -18 | 40 |
| 16 | Man Utd | 37 | -12 | 39 |
| 17 | Tottenham Hotspur | 37 | 2 | 38 |
| 18 | Leicester | 37 | -45 | 25 |
| 19 | Ipswich | 37 | -44 | 22 |
| 20 | Southampton | 37 | -59 | 12 |
“He has been missed,” says Pep Guardiola about Rodri’s return. On De Bruyne’s farewell, he adds: “It’s a special game. We are playing, of course, for Kev. It’s a massive day for him emotionally, hope he can control his emotions because it is not easy. But he help us for many years and today will not be an exception.”
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“If Tom Cairney leaves for Wrexham KDB seems like the perfect replacement as Fulham’s geriatric midfielder,” writes Richard Hirst. “Trouble is, he’ll expect a lot more money, so we’ll need to finish above Bournemouth and Palace to get more place money. So come on Kevin, you’re playing for your salary!”
“All sorts of individual songs, but never Player of the Month,” writes Phil Grey. “That either undermines the award or shows De Bruyne was never able to play well for 3 or 4 games in a row.”
I’m sure Kevin will find comfort in his two Player of the Season awards.
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Team news
Pep Guardiola acknowledges the emotional pull of the contest: Kevin De Bruyne will start and lead City. Mateo Kovacic returns after missing the FA Cup final, but here’s the big one: Rodri makes it on to the bench. Bournemouth are without Alex Scott, who sustained a fractured jaw against Aston Villa earlier in the month. There is a start for Dean Huijsen, soon to be Real Madrid’s.
Manchester City: Ederson, Nunes, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, Kovacic, Gündogan, De Bruyne, Silva, Marmoush, Haaland
Subs: Ortega, Aké, Grealish, Doku, Nico, Rodri, Foden, Bobb, O’Reilly
Bournemouth: Arrizabalaga, Araujo, Zabaryni, Huijsen, Kerkez, Cook, Adams, Tavernier, Semenyo, Kluivert, Evanilson
Subs: Dennis, Senesi, Smith, Soler, Akinmboni, Brooks, Winterburn, Jebbison, Silcott-Duberry
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Before the fans filtered in, a plethora of cardboard crowns were carried around the concourse at the Etihad Stadium in preparation. There are plans aplenty to celebrate the end of Kevin De Bruyne’s time at Manchester City with the Belgian entering the final weeks of his contract - a mosaic of the 33-year-old was unveiled at the training ground earlier on Tuesday. This will be the last time he ever graces this stadium in blue and he is unlikely to carry on to the Club World Cup.
Supporters will line the players’ entrance for a glimpse of their hero who has made them get off their seats over the past decade, becoming the club’s most successful icon in the process, earning trinkets and medals galore, six Premier League titles and a Champions League. The body has failed him in recent times but he can still show glimpses of the phenomenal midfielder he can be. The ferocious schedule has taken its toll on De Bruyne but he will keep going, eager to thrash in a 30-yard shot with either foot or create something out of nothing. There will be a few tears come full time and even more if City do not win and put their qualification for the Champions League in jeopardy.
Preamble
We’re approaching 10 years since Kevin De Bruyne left Wolfsburg for Manchester City, signed for a club-record fee of £55m. The eyebrows were raised to Ancelotti levels.
This was the guy Chelsea had let go just a year and a half earlier for £18m, his time at Stamford Bridge yielding three league appearances and not much joy under José Mourinho. He was subsequently exceptional in Germany, but could he crack it in the so-called Best League in the World?
Six Premier League medals is the answer, one of them part of a treble campaign, all sorts of individual gongs to go with them. His 420 appearances for City have returned 108 goals and 177 (!) assists, and then there’s the how: vicious passes, crosses on a string, coldly efficient in every move but still a gorgeous, joyous, eternally watchable footballer. Today he says goodbye to the Etihad as City welcome Bournemouth.
But this isn’t a testimonial. City are sixth with Champions League football still not secure, while the Cherries had their number in the reverse fixture. There’s work to do before Kev bids adieu. Kick-off’s at 8pm BST.
