Pep Guardiola praised Kevin De Bruyne for his “excellent” performance after starting in Manchester City’s 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.
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De Bruyne was “excellent”, says Guardiola
City had lost their last four Premier League matches and were winless in seven games across all competitions.
De Bruyne made his first start since sustaining an abdominal injury on September 18, quickly making his presence felt at the Etihad Stadium.
The midfielder first delivered a quick pass to Bernardo Silva, who finished from close range in the eighth minute.
De Bruyne then scored his own goal with a powerful strike from just inside the 18-yard box.
Meanwhile, Doku, who assisted De Bruyne’s goal, secured City’s win by receiving a long ball from Erling Haaland, cutting inside, and striking into the far corner.
The Belgian star only came as substitute in the team’s five previous games, including a 2-0 loss at league leaders Liverpool on Sunday that left champions City fifth in the table.
What rift?
There had been rumors of a rift between De Bruyne and Guardiola in recent days.
However, the 33-year-old was given the captain’s armband on Wednesday and quickly delivered for City.
“He was excellent, especially in the first half, even in the second half,” Guardiola told Amazon Prime.
“Really good, the presence and when he’s fit, he’s a player that is so important for us. For many years since he arrived from Germany, he has been an incredible influence on our game.
“[The difference is] we won, [before] we make a performance but could not win but [on Wednesday] we won. Now everything is nice.”
Meanwhile, Forest wasted their chances to score, including Chris Wood, who fired wide when one-on-one with goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, missing a key opportunity to equalize.
Instead, De Bruyne took advantage of Wood’s missed chance and delivered the decisive 2-0 blow less than a minute later.
