It came as no surprise that Kevin De Bruyne was recognised as Man of the Match for his spellbinding showing in Manchester City’s 4-0 victory against AFC Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon.
The Belgian playmaker was a cut above the rest from minute one, causing havoc with his unstoppable ball-carrying and inch-perfect crossing.
The 31 year-old grabbed his second assist of the new season by playing an impeccable through ball to set up Phil Foden, who converted from close range.
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While his finish bobbled into the back of the net, it did justice to De Bruyne’s sublime vision and execution of the pass.
However, the newly-appointed Sky Blues vice-captain stole the headlines six minutes before laying the ball on a plate for Foden.
The midfield maestro dropped the shoulder to bamboozle Lloyd Kelly in the Bournemouth backline, before pulling off an immaculate outside-the-boot finish to double his side’s lead.
After executing what could already be one of the standout goals of the ongoing term at the end of the season, Kevin De Bruyne shared his thoughts on his incredible strike.
“When I was young, I tried everything and I got told off a lot of times.
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"It’s important to do inside and outside with both feet, that’s something that can help”, he said.
Aside from the enigmatic midfielder’s exploits, it is worth stressing that Manchester City as a collective were at their unplayable best against Scott Parker’s side.
While the Sky Blues were solid, if not spectacular in their league opener against West Ham, the hosts turned things up a notch in their first home game of the new season.
Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and an own goal via Jefferson Lerma meant Pep Guardiola’s side gave the newly-promoted side a harsh reality check on Saturday afternoon.
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Heading into this fixture, there were some that feared that the Cherries would prove to be a potential banana skin, considering they were coming off the back of a superb 2-0 win against Aston Villa.
However, all doubts were put to bed as Manchester City were three goals to the good within just 37 minutes of the clash.
De Bruyne, who was front and centre of his side’s domination gave his verdict on the victory, sending a warning to their Premier League rivals in the process.
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“It was so hot, the circumstances weren’t great.
"Leading 3-0 so early makes it easier but I think we can still go up a level”, he assessed.
As Manchester City and Kevin De Bruyne look in red hot form currently, the club’s fanbase have a lot to smile about very early into the new season.
Featured Image Credit: PA Images / AlamyTopics: Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City, Premier League, Football