Premier League 2024-25: Kevin De Bruyne shines as Man City breaks winless streak against Nottingham Forest

Premier League 2024-25: Kevin De Bruyne shines as Man City breaks winless streak against Nottingham Forest

Kevin De Bruyne starred in his first start since September with a goal and an assist as Manchester City outclassed Nottingham Forest 3-0 on Wednesday to end its four-game losing run in the Premier League.

Bernardo Silva and Jeremy Doku also got on the scoresheet to help their side move past its seven-match winless streak across all competitions. The win also lifted Pep Guardiola’s men provisionally to fourth in the league table.

De Bruyne had not started in two months since suffered an abdominal injury and he made instant impact, putting City ahead in the eighth minute when Ilkay Gundogan lifted in a cross which the Belgian headed towards goal and Silva poked home from close range.

De Bruyne scored in the 31st minute when he latched on to a pass from Doku and fired home from just inside the 18-yard box. Doku put the game away in the 57th minute when he met a pinpoint long ball from Erling Haaland, cut inside and lashed it into the far corner.

De Bruyne, who had relieved City fans singing his name all night, had come on as a substitute in the team’s five previous games, including a 2-0 loss at league leaders Liverpool on Sunday that left champion City fifth in the table.

There were reports of a rift between De Bruyne and Guardiola but the 33-year-old was given the captain’s armband on Wednesday, and he led the team in style.

Forest squandered a few chances, among the most glaring was Chris Wood’s one-on-one miss against keeper Stefan Ortega. Wood was left to rue that opportunity to equalise as De Bruyne scored less than a minute later.

Guardiola selected Ortega as his keeper over Ederson for a second straight game, and the German made a spectacular diving save from a blistering shot from Morgan Gibbs-White early in the game.

-with inputs from Reuters