ETIHAD STADIUM — Kevin De Bruyne epitomises everything that is imperious about Manchester City, with brilliance and control exuded in equal measure. No pass is not carefully thought out beforehand, no shot taken without good reason. And more often the not, the execution is of the highest standard.
He is everything that Manchester United are not, typified by a flawless display when his team, with Liverpool’s breath warming the backs of their necks, needed him most. A captain’s display from a player who has everything. An inferior United instead resembled the merry shipmates on the Etihad decks below.
Injuries have hampered the Belgian this term, but when at full tilt, there is no better box-to-box midfielder – that is what he is now, rather than just a playmaker – in world football. Fred and Scott McTominay were simply not worthy of being on the same pitch as the City skipper.
Most of the pre-match attention was on who wasn’t at the Etihad rather than who was. Edinson Cavani had essentially told Ralf Rangnick he didn’t fancy it. Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence, on the other hand, would have felt like a blessing in disguise, with the German able to play a system he wanted, rather than one to cater for his diva.
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A new banner was unfurled pre-match stating “not in my lifetime” in reference to Sir Alex Ferguson’s lack of faith in United’s noisy neighbours becoming Premier League champions. The man himself, watching from the stands, will have enjoyed the jibe, but that wry smile won’t have lasted long as De Bruyne hammered City in front – the Belgian’s 50th Premier League goal – inside five minutes.
The system was an ambitious one from Rangnick, given the gravitas of the occasion, but he clearly felt after some limp recent showings that he had to try something, anything.
United were essentially deploying a 4-2-4 formation, and with their disjointed, out-of-form backline, which cost a combined £180m to assemble, and “McFred” ahead of them, it left them mightily exposed.
Their individual quality reared its head once more as Jadon Sancho arrowed a brilliant strike into the net to level. One United fan in front of the press box dared to celebrate, which went down as you can imagine, with one older City supporter, who looked like Steptoe with an ill-fitting hat on, especially riled.
While the travelling United faithful will have been given hope of a fourth successive win at the Eithad, De Bruyne took the game by the scruff of the neck, dragging it way beyond the visitors.
He arrived right on cue to drill City back in front before the half hour mark, and with that a fragile United were done.
There was one point right at the end of the first half where De Bruyne stood on the ball, on the centre spot, and assumed the role of a puppeteer, waving his arms to get his charges into position, and United daren’t go near him, for fear of further embarrassment.
After the break it was men versus boys. Whatever attacking threat United had had been snuffed out as City regrouped like the domineering unit they are, while United remained dazed and bewildered.
City toyed with United, plundering 14 shots to United’s zero in the second half. It was just a matter of how many they would score. One thing was certain, however – De Bruyne would be at the heart of everything.
The pass to Mahrez for his half-volleyed third from a corner drew oohs and aahs from all around. Only De Bruyne could have come up with Mahrez as an option, and only he could have picked him out.
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Mahrez’s fourth, after a VAR intervention, gave City fans already merrily heading for the exits one last reason to chuckle.
City are now closing in on their fourth title in five seasons. United went 26 years between titles between 1967 and 1992. On this evidence, given the disparity between them and both City and Liverpool, on and off the pitch, it isn’t unthinkable they could end up with a longer gap between their last title in 2013 and their next.
Performances like De Bruyne’s at the Etihad further reinforce just how far they have to go.
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