Pep Guardiola has hailed the recent performances of Kevin de Bruyne following his display against Crystal Palace this afternoon.
While the headlines will go to Raheem Sterling after the England international added two more goals to his impressive tally for the season, two of Man City‘s three goals were assisted by their Belgian midfield maestro.
Incredibly, De Bruyne’s two assists at Selhurst Park were his first of what has been an injury-ravaged season, and Pep Guardiola has been singing the praises of the City number 17.
336 – Kevin De Bruyne has assisted a Premier League goal for the first time since May 2018, when he set up Manchester City's final goal of the 2017-18 season against Southampton, 336 days ago. Architect. #CRYMCI pic.twitter.com/v9GrNdizzc
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 14, 2019
“The last three or four games the way he played was incredible, we missed him a lot,” Guardiola told reporters after the game.
“He has the ability and vision to see passes that other human beings are not able to watch. With him around, our paces and passes in front – especially in the final third – are incredible and today he was so committed to defensive work, winning duels and being in that position.
“And of course, he is fresh mentally in the legs in those situations. That’s why he made not just the two assists that are so important but in all the other situations that we needed him.”
The result temporarily moved City back to the summit of the Premier League, although Liverpool regained top spot after they beat Chelsea 2-0 at Anfield, although they have played one more game than the Citizens.
See also: The five highest points totals in Premier League history