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As the time to say goodbye approaches, the performance is getting better.
Kevin De Bruyne (34, Manchester City) scored the first winning goal in the 35th minute of the first half in the 35th round of the English Premier League (EPL) at Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England on the 3rd (Korea time).
Midfielder Ilkay Gundoan stabbed Jeremy Doku, who dug to the left of the opponent's penalty area, and Doku tried to cut back after peeling off the defense with his unique breaking ability. The Bruyne, who was following, calmly shook the net with a right-footed shot that stabbed the bottom left of the goal.
The Bruyne scored his fourth goal of the season in just three games after scoring his third goal of the season in the 32nd round (5–2 win) of the EPL against Crystal Palace. The Bruyne, who has scored only two goals in 21 games since the opening of this season, has scored two goals in the last four games. After overcoming the aftermath of the hamstring injury, he has already scored double-digit attack points (four goals and seven assists).
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Manchester City is enjoying the effect of returning to The Bruyne, who has regained his normal condition. The Bruyne has been on a winning streak in the last four games in which he started wearing the captain's armband. Manchester City, which plunged to the middle after a `all-time slump' at the beginning of the season, accumulated points one after another and gained an advantage in advancing to the European Champions League (UCL) next season. With 64 points and 3rd place, they have already trailed second-place Arsenal (67 points) by three points. They are two and four points behind Newcastle (62 points) in fourth place and Chelsea (60 points), in fifth place, respectively.
On the 5th of last month, exactly a month ago, The Bruyne announced on its official website that it would stop accompanying Manchester City for 10 years after this season. He joined Manchester City in 2015 and led the club's best years, including six EPL wins and a UCL victory, saying, `This city, the club, and the fans gave me everything. There is an end to every story, but this story has been the best chapter of my life."
It was seen as a `beautiful farewell' up to this point, but the truth was separate. In an interview after Everton (2-0 win) on the 19th of last month, The Bruyne said, "I was a little shocked. I haven't received an offer to renew my contract all year. I'm not 25 anymore, but I think I can still play at the highest level, and I can contribute more to this team. But I think the club has made a business decision. It was a bit of a strange situation, but I had to accept the decision" he made no secret of his sorrow.
The Bruyne is back in peak form after coincidentally announcing his departure. It is the first time in a year that The Bruyne has started five consecutive games in the EPL since he played in eight consecutive games between April and May last year. De Bruyne played in 285 individual matches in the EPL, scoring 72 goals and 119 assists. If he wins the remaining three games, he will achieve 200 EPL wins.
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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola put The Bruyne at the top and built a second line of attack with Omar Marmusch, Gündoan and Doku. Bernardu Silva and Matteo Kovacic kept the midfield. Matheus Núñez, Rubén Díaz, Josko Gvardiol and Nico O'Reilly set up a four-back, and Ederson kept the goal. Erling Holan was injured and returned to the entry.
Manchester City, who took the lead with The Bruyne's first goal, led the game with a share of 63.9 to 36.1, but failed to easily create a decisive chance against the powerful Wolverhampton. There were only nine shots in total and two shots on target. Wolverhampton also had the potential to turn the game around, but lacked 'one shot'. In September 2023, when Wolverhampton last won (2-1) against Manchester City, Hwang Hee-chan scored the winning goal. Hwang Hee-chan, who missed two consecutive games earlier, replaced Matheus Cunha in the 40th minute of the second half and played for about five minutes.
Wolverhampton (41 points), ranked 13th, who won six consecutive games and succeeded in staying, had his winning streak in Manchester City's away game. The Bruyne was replaced in the 39th minute of the second half and retired to the bench. Hwang Hee-chan's teammate in Salzburg, Holan, postponed his return to the next.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
