Change of Guard Complete as Kevin De Bruyne Bows Out of Etihad

It was Kevin De Bruyne’s last night as a player at Etihad, Manchester City’s home ground when Pep Guardiola’s men faced AFC Bournemouth.

After 10 years and 421 matches under his belt for the Cityzens, the talismanic Belgian, who will turn 34 next month, bade his farewell to the Manchester City faithful.

The night was eventful for more than a reason. There were a couple of red cards and Rodri made his return to action after a long injury lay-off that has cost City the Premier League title.

Manchester City won the match 3-1 to virtually ensure a top-four finish and UEFA Champions League football next season.

Kevin De Bruyne Missed Out Narrowly on Scoring as New Signings Shone

De Bruyne could have scored from an Omar Marmoush pass from inside the box, but saw his left-footed shot come off the crossbar.

It was a pity as the goal was unguarded at that point in time. Marmoush had earlier scored his eighth goal of the season with a scorching shot from 25 yards out to put the Cityzens ahead.

Nico Gonzalez, another new signing and the man who replaced De Bruyne, scored Manchester City’s third goal in the match to complete the change of guard.

It was yet another beautiful shot from Gonzalez that ensured the goal and also City’s victory.

With Matheus Nunes making his mark as the right-back and both Marmoush and Gonzalez showing enough promise, Guardiola can now draw some satisfaction from the fact that his new signings have started to make some difference.

Moreover, with Rodri coming back to the side, Man City will now be undoubtedly stronger.

City Fly to London for Final Test

The Cityzens will play against Fulham next Sunday, which will be De Bruyne’s last match in England for the club, with which he lifted 19 trophies.

Manchester City will play in the Club World Cup in June, but De Bruyne might not be a part of the team.

However, that will not alter his legacy in any way. Still, for the Manchester City supporters, it will be crucial to see if the new signings can continue to hold their own in that tournament.

The likes of Marmoush, Gonzalez and Nunes will have another platform to excel and make their presence felt.

Still, it was a somewhat pensive night in Manchester that saw the club’s home ground bid adieu to probably its greatest-ever player. Quite importantly, one could not help but notice the change of guard on the pitch.