n8rngtd.topChelsea vs Manchester City had all the makings of a Premier League classic and while the fixture didn’t quite deliver in terms of goals despite the immense attacking quality of both sides, it was a tight, tricky affair befitting of two tactical masterminds that will be remembered most for a stunning goal from Kevin De Bruyne.
Indeed, the one-time Chelsea youngster burst forward from deep midfield, combined with Gabriel Jesus on the edge of the box and unleashed a ferocious piledriver into the bottom corner to break the deadlock in the 67th minute – creating a lead for the visitors that the Blues eventually failed to cancel out.
But in a true Man of the Match display, De Bruyne’s dazzling strike only capped off an exceptional performance from the 51-cap Belgium international, who no doubt enjoyed hitting the net against a side that once sold him to Wolfsburg for a modest £18million.
In addition to the deciding goal, the 26-year-old ranked first throughout both teams for chances created and successful crosses, highlighting the attacking threat he brought to Saturday’s clash, while completing 86% of his passes and weighing in defensively with two tackles.
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It was a performance that highlighted De Bruyne’s many individual strengths, his ability to deliver against high-quality opponents and how important a figure he’ll be in this season’s title race, already taking three points from his former employers. Selling the 26-year-old must surely be amongst Chelsea’s biggest transfer regrets of the Roman Abramovich era.