Fittingly, an image of Kevin De Bruyne was on the front cover of the match programme for Manchester City’s victory over Tottenham on Saturday afternoon.
Yet again, in a season where the Belgian has already done more than enough to make a strong case for the end of season awards, it was he who made one of the most significant contributions to the game. City had yet again dominated possession and created numerous chances, yet Ilkay Gündogan’s header was all they had to show for their endeavours as the game approached its final 20 minutes.
With Spurs surrendering possession up the field, Gündogan fed the ball to De Bruyne on City’s left. As he approached the penalty area, Eric Dier – the nearest opponent to him – did what he could to force him wide and away from Hugo Lloris’ goal. De Bruyne’s next touch saw him deviate from his course slightly. For a split second, it might have appeared that he was plotting to slide the ball across the six yard area for either Leroy Sané or Raheem Sterling. A cross, however, was not on his mind.
With his left foot, De Bruyne lashed the ball back across Lloris, who, despite getting a touch, couldn’t prevent what proved to be the decisive goal of the game. By now, we’ve grown used to moments of quality from City’s number 17. But in this instance, it was what had happened only minutes earlier that seemed to make it all the more impressive.
De Bruyne was on the receiving end of a rash challenge from Dele Alli, one that, on another day, might have seen the England international shown a straight red. His ankle rolled as Alli’s studs landed on it and, if only for a few seconds, it was enough to make some wonder if he’d be able to continue.
It was the sort of challenge that might’ve rattled some players to the point where they lost their own discipline. Others might simply have chosen to take it easy for a while to make absolutely sure no damage had been done. De Bruyne though, responded only by raising his game – a measure of the man.
And this isn’t to say that he’d endured an average game up to this point. As has been the case for the last few months, he was a key part of all that was good about City’s play. But for the moments that followed that Alli challenge, De Bruyne went a long way to killing off any hope the visiting side had of getting back in the game.
In a similar position to the one from which he’d struck the second goal, he drew a foul from Jan Vertonghen which presented City with a penalty. Though Gabriel Jesus could only strike a post from this spot kick, a third goal wasn’t too far away. Raheem Sterling would finish it, but a driving run from the halfway line from De Bruyne very much started it.
With the result beyond doubt, De Bruyne continued to work tirelessly for the remaining ten minutes of the game – something which was highlighted by his manager during his post-match press conference.
“He’s one of the most talented players and you see how he runs without the ball,” Pep Guardiola said.
While he was full of praise for what De Bruyne offers his team with the ball at his feet, Guardiola repeatedly mentioned how significant his contribution was without it, highlighting the influence this will have on some of the club’s talented young players.
“He’s a great example for the young players – for Phil [Foden], for Brahim [Diaz]. He helps us be a better a club, a better institution.”
In the interview published in the match day programme, De Bruyne stressed a need to take each game as it comes and not to get too carried away with talk of the title race already being over. Results such as this one make it incredibly difficult to see anyone but City lifting the Premier League trophy in May. In much the same way, performances such as the one he put in against Spurs make it difficult to see anyone else getting named the best player in the Premier League this season.
