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Manchester City produced a dramatic comeback to defeat Crystal Palace 5–2 on Saturday, with Kevin De Bruyne at the heart of the revival that keeps their Champions League hopes alive.
Pep Guardiola‘s side looked set for a damaging defeat at the Etihad Stadium after Eberechi Eze and Chris Richards struck to give Palace a surprise 2–0 lead.
But De Bruyne, playing his first home match since announcing his departure at the end of the season, delivered a vintage display to spark a City resurgence.
The Belgian midfielder, who joined the club in 2015, halved the deficit with a thunderous free-kick before Omar Marmoush equalised just before the break.
City took full control after half-time. Mateo Kovacic converted from a sublime De Bruyne assist before young talents James McAtee and Nico O’Reilly completed the scoring in a dominant second-half performance.
The only blot on City’s afternoon was an injury to goalkeeper Ederson, who was forced off in the second half.
Guardiola had expressed confidence earlier in the week that City would secure a Champions League spot, pointing to a renewed spirit within the squad after a turbulent campaign.
Saturday’s result lifted City into fourth place, reclaiming a spot in the top five after Newcastle briefly overtook them with a win over Leicester.
However, their position remains precarious. Chelsea could leapfrog them with a win against relegation-threatened Ipswich on Sunday, and Newcastle, two points behind, have two games in hand.
Things had looked grim early on when City’s frail defence was exposed in the sixth minute. Daniel Muñoz released Ismaila Sarr down the wing, whose low cross was swept in at the far post by Eze.
Palace doubled their advantage in the 21st minute when Ederson failed to deal with a corner from Adam Wharton, allowing Richards to nod in from close range. A third Palace goal was ruled out for offside following the Premier League’s debut use of semi-automated offside technology.
But De Bruyne soon took command. After hitting the post with a fierce effort from a distance, he got on the scoresheet with a powerful free-kick that flew in off the post in the 33rd minute.
Three minutes later, City were level. De Bruyne’s header from a McAtee cross fell kindly to Ilkay Gundogan, whose mis-hit shot was bundled in by Marmoush—scoring his seventh goal since arriving from Eintracht Frankfurt in January.
City completed their turnaround just two minutes into the second half when a flowing move involving Gundogan and O’Reilly led to De Bruyne teeing up Kovacic to fire home from 20 yards.
McAtee then marked his first Premier League start with a goal in the 56th minute, racing onto Ederson’s long clearance, skipping past goalkeeper Dean Henderson and slotting in.
The rout was finished off in the 79th minute when O’Reilly scored his maiden league goal with a crisp volley from the edge of the box, sealing an emphatic win for City.
