Manchester City grabbed a huge win over Newcastle United yesterday – and there was a truly special cameo performance from Kevin De Bruyne.
The Belgian was back making his return in the Premier League for the first time since he suffered his hamstring injury in the opening game against Burnley.
De Bruyne put in a fine display against Huddersfield Town last weekend in the FA Cup, grabbing an assist for Jeremy Doku.
Against Newcastle, he grabbed an equaliser, before laying on a wonderful assist for Oscar Bobb right at the end to score a winner.
His display was unsurprisingly lapped up by Micah Richards on Match of the Day…
Micah Richards hails Kevin De Bruyne after stunning cameo against Newcastle
Last night’s pulsating game was always going to be first on Match of the Day, and the impact of De Bruyne was also always going to be given some analysis.
The 32-year-old is still building his fitness back up. But so far, he has looked impressively sharp and Richards was simply blown away by the maestro.
He said: “That quality, from a true world-class player. The impact that he has is just phenomenal.
“The good thing about Kevin De Bruyne is that he can play anywhere on the pitch and make a difference. That’s what makes him so good.
“This sublime pass for the winner, Oscar Bobb, brilliant finish. We’re just going to see it again on a replay, in that quarter-back role. Timed, precision, the weight of pass, it’s got to be inch-perfect, and the finish matched it. The impact of this player was just wonderful. Really good.”
What an incredible player
This was an unforgettable performance from De Bruyne, whose return for City is nothing short of colossal.
The star came on yesterday and flipped the game on its head with his goal and assist for Bobb, and to do that having played such little football and lacking match sharpness is some going.
That’s now three goal contributions in his two substitute appearances for City since coming back, which is extremely ominous for City’s title rivals.
He has flown out of the traps, which is something that has surprised Rio Ferdinand, and who knows what kind of impact he could be having in the second half of the season.
