Manchester City achieved a brilliant return today on Saturday, April 12, 2025, surpassing Crystal Palace 5–2 at the Etihad stadium after going 2-0 in the first 21 minutes.
Crystal Palace came out strong with early goals from Eberrechi Eze and Chris Richards, surprising the local crowd. But Kevin de Bruyne did not take long to take control of the game.
The Belgian midfielder snuggled in a free kick to bring the city back to the game. He continued with two assists, playing a key role in the goals of Mateo Kovacic, James Mcatee and Nico O’reilly. The fifth of the city was late in the game, limiting a dominant exhibition in the second half.
The match also saw the debut of semi -automated technology in the Premier League. Eze ruled out a second goal that could have made it 3-0 for the palace.
This victory takes Manchester City to fourth place, moving them ahead of Chelsea and Newcastle in the race for the classification of the Champions League. Pep Guardiola manager praised De Bruyne’s performance and leadership, especially after returning from an injury.
The result also finished the undefeated race of eight games by Crystal Palace. They had seen solids under the new chief Oliver Glasner, but City’s fire power was too much to drive.
With only remaining weeks in the season, City seems ready to fight for an end among the top four and Bruyne clearly has not yet ended.
