Kevin De Bruyne impressed a Manchester Metropolis comeback as they recovered from 2-0 all the way down to beat Crystal Palace 5-2 and increase their Champions League aspirations.
Metropolis appeared to be in large hassle after 21 minutes, targets from Eberechi Eze and Chris Richards giving Palace a two-goal lead that might have been three had the previous not strayed offside.
However a classic Thirty third-minute free-kick from De Bruyne, who introduced final week that he can be leaving Metropolis on the finish of the season, halved the deficit and he then laid on the help for Omar Marmoush to equalise.
Palace by no means regarded like recovering thereafter, and De Bruyne teed up Kovacic to place Metropolis forward earlier than targets from James McAtee and Nico O’Reilly clinched an finally emphatic victory as Pep Guardiola’s aspect leapfrogged Newcastle United and Chelsea and moved into the highest 4.
Manchester Metropolis v Crystal Palace
Palace silenced the Etihad Stadium within the ninth minute once they sliced their approach via the Metropolis defence, Daniel Muñoz enjoying an excellent ball down proper for Ismaila Sarr, whose far-post cross was tucked house by Eze.
Marmoush virtually produced an prompt response, however the Egypt worldwide was denied by Dean Henderson following a speedy Metropolis counter orchestrated by Rico Lewis and De Bruyne.
The profligacy displayed by Marmoush was punished as Palace put themselves ready of command, Richards rising to nod house Adam Wharton’s nook after Ederson did not cope with the harmful ball in.
De Bruyne then cracked the put up with a long-range effort earlier than Eze discovered the bottom-right nook on the finish of one other free-flowing Palace assault, solely to see his strike appropriately dominated out for offside.
That might show a turning level within the match as De Bruyne lifted Metropolis again into the sport with a typical second of brilliance, bending a free-kick in off the put up with Henderson fully helpless.
Classic Kevin De Bruyne 😮💨
The skipper with an unbelievable free-kick to drag a aim again for the hosts 🎯
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/erIP0IgCbl
— Soccer on TNT Sports activities (@footballontnt) April 12, 2025
De Bruyne then turned supplier as Metropolis levelled issues three minutes later, cushioning McAtee’s cross again for Marmoush to lash past Henderson.
The Belgian virtually extremely accomplished a turnaround shortly earlier than the break. Nevertheless, after artfully creating area within the field, De Bruyne might solely fireplace over the bar.
However De Bruyne did have a job to play in Metropolis making it 3-2 simply two minutes after the restart, shedding O’Reilly’s left-wing cross for Kovacic to seek out the bottom-left nook.
McAtee then gave Metropolis respiration room, Ederson atoning for his half in Palace’s second with an impressive lengthy ball to seek out the England Below-21 worldwide, who poked the ball past Henderson after which slotted into an empty internet.
Marmoush almost put the sport past Palace when he latched onto De Bruyne’s completely positioned right-wing cross, however this time Henderson was equal to his close-range effort.
Metropolis’s pleasure was dampened considerably when Ederson limped off to get replaced by Stefan Ortega, however a cultured side-footed end from Nico O’Reilly added gloss to the scoreline together with his first Premier League aim.
