Manchester City enjoyed a 1-0 win over Arsenal on Friday to seal their place in the FA Cup fifth round, but Kevin De Bruyne didn’t exactly put in a vintage performance. The 31-year-old started alongside Ilkay Gundogan in midfield but the pair failed to create a chance between them.
De Bruyne came close to scoring in the first half with a curled effort near the edge of the box that went narrowly wide. He also came close to assisting Erling Haaland in the second half with a cutback in the box, but the Belgian international did little else at the Etihad and was hooked as a result.
Simon Bajkowski of the Manchester Evening News gave De Bruyne a player rating of 6/10 and said his passing accuracy was ‘lacking’. Jamie Spencer of 90min gave the 31-year-old a player rating of 5/10 and said he was far from his best.
Against Arsenal, the Belgian played for 74 minutes, had 31 touches, completed 75% of his 20 passes, failed to create a chance, had one shot which didn’t hit the target, failed to make a successful dribble, had three unsupported touches, whipped in one cross without finding a teammate.
Despite the performance and a recent dip in form, De Bruyne is having a good season for City, scoring three goals with 17 assists from 27 games in all competitions. He’ll hope to atone for Friday’s performance with a more convincing showing against Tottenham Hotspur next month.
In other news, Man City have ‘contract on offer’ for Ilkay Gundogan, talks have been ‘amicable’
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