Manchester City 5 – 2 Crystal Palace
According to the English club’s star midfielder, Manchester City deserve a ticket to next season’s Champions League.
Their hopes of retaining the Premier League title were dashed long ago, and even a place in next season’s Champions League remains uncertain. But Kevin De Bruyne, playing out his final season at the club, is not giving up hope. The Belgian maestro wants to bid farewell by helping City secure a spot in Europe’s elite competition.
Just a few days ago, De Bruyne confirmed that this would be his last season in a City shirt. Since joining from Wolfsburg in 2015, he has become an irreplaceable part of the team, playing a crucial role in the club’s rise and success over the past decade.
This season hasn’t been easy for him—injuries and inconsistency have taken their toll. But on Saturday, De Bruyne gave a glimpse of his old form, scoring City’s first goal with a stunning free-kick against Crystal Palace.
Despite going 2-0 down early in the match, City staged an emphatic comeback to win 5-2. The result pushed Pep Guardiola’s side up two spots on the Premier League table. With 16 wins and 7 draws from 32 games, they now sit fourth with 55 points—keeping their Champions League hopes alive.
Typically, the top four teams from the league qualify for the Champions League. However, thanks to Arsenal’s win in the first leg of this year’s quarter-finals and England’s position in UEFA’s Association Club Coefficient rankings, the Premier League will send five teams to the competition next season.
Following the thrilling win over Palace, De Bruyne shared his thoughts with BBC on how he hopes to close his City chapter:
“I want to leave this team in the Champions League because that’s what they deserve. We’ve been playing in the Champions League for nine or ten years, ever since I’ve been here. So hopefully, we can take the team there again next year. And I’ll just try to play good football, the way I always have.”
He also reflected on the team’s performance against Palace, saying that despite a shaky start, City delivered a strong overall display:
“I think we started well, had a few chances, but suddenly we were 2-0 down. It could’ve even been 3-0. We responded well. Overall, I think we played really well, though we gave them chances, and they tried to make the most of them. Our reaction was really good, and in the end, I think the win was deserved.”
De Bruyne was pleased to contribute to the win with his goal:
“I think it was important to score as quickly as possible and try to shift the momentum of the match a bit. I don’t think we played badly, but the scoreline certainly didn’t look good. We managed to turn it around.”
