Manchester, May 21 (IANS) Kevin De Bruyne’s farewell to the Etihad ended in the best way possible with victory over Bournemouth to move within touching distance of Champions League qualification.

A tearful De Bruyne bid farewell to Manchester City as he brought the curtain down on his 10-year spell at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night.

Goals from Omar Marmoush, Bernardo Silva and Nico ensured a 3-1 win, Cherries forward Daniel Jebbison hitting a consolation in stoppage time.

Importantly, the result gave City a vital three points to bolster our bid for UCL football for a 15th successive season.

De Bruyne – a six-time Premier League champion – was unable to add to his 72 top-flight goals for City, but nonetheless played a part as Pep Guardiola’s side moved to within one point of UEFA Champions League qualification with their win over Bournemouth.

Having to leave the action early in a tactical switch following a red card to team-mate Mateo Kovacic, De Bruyne received a rousing ovation from the fans and hugs from manager Pep Guardiola.

When he returned to pitch after the match for a special presentation, players, staff, the management team and supporters united in paying tribute to arguably one of the finest midfielders to grace the Premier League, Premier League reports.

Joined by his partner Michele and three children, De Bruyne returned to the pitch, receiving a guard of honour from his team-mates, before watching a montage on the big screen as the home fans chanted his name.

The Belgian was fighting back tears when he was handed a microphone to address the crowd.

“Very emotional. Manchester is home. It is where these little kids are born. I came here with my wife to live here a long time. I didn’t expect to be here for 10 years. We won everything. We’ve made the City and the Club bigger.

“This team tries to entertain people and win. This team works incredibly hard. This team will win the future with or without me. This team will have more success that’s for sure,” said De Bruyne.

City boss Guardiola said, “The important thing is the emotion for him, his family and our fans. The vibe we got, we saw how much everyone is connected. How much love. Titles are nice but when you leave a place after a decade with this much love, respect and gratitude there is nothing better.

“It is a sad day and he will be missed, there is no doubt about that. He made the contribution to achieve the victory that is massively important. It’s been really, really nice.”

During his decade in Manchester, apart from his six Premier League titles, the 33-year-old was crowned Premier League Player of the Season twice, in 2019/20 and 2021/22, and also won the Playmaker award for the most assists in a season three times, in 2017/18, 2019/20 and 2022/23.

The 20 goals he created in 2019/20 is also a joint-record for assists in a season, a feat he shares with Arsenal legend Thierry Henry.

–IANS

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