Kevin De Bruyne produced a vintage display as Manchester City overturned a two-goal deficit to thrash Crystal Palace 5-2 in a dramatic Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium. The Belgian maestro was at the heart of City’s resurgence, scoring one and assisting two to keep Pep Guardiola’s side firmly in the hunt for Champions League qualification.

City were stunned in the early stages of the match as Eberechi Eze opened the scoring in the 8th minute with a composed finish before Chris Richards doubled Palace’s lead in the 21st, leaving the home crowd in disbelief. The Eagles even thought they had a third through Eze, but the goal was chalked off by the Premier League’s newly introduced semi-automated offside system.

From that point, it was the Kevin De Bruyne show.

In the 33rd minute, the midfielder ignited City’s comeback with a pinpoint free-kick that curled past Dean Henderson. Just moments later, De Bruyne flicked a well-weighted header into the box, setting up Omar Marmoush for the equalizer in the 36th minute.

City’s momentum carried into the second half. Mateo Kovačić gave them the lead in the 47th minute, latching onto another clever assist from De Bruyne and rifling the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the area. The highlight of the night followed nine minutes later when goalkeeper Ederson launched an 80-yard ball that found James McAtee, who calmly rounded Henderson to make it 4-2.

The scoring was wrapped up by youngster Nico O’Reilly, who netted his first Premier League goal in the 79th minute, capping off a breathtaking second-half performance from the reigning champions.

The win lifts Manchester City to fourth in the Premier League standings, a crucial position in their quest to secure Champions League football for next season. De Bruyne, who recently confirmed he will leave the club at the end of the season, was emotional post-match.

“I want to go away with a Champions League place for this team because they deserve it,” he said. “We showed heart today, and that’s what matters.”

City now turn their attention to their next fixture against Everton on April 19, hoping to build on this momentum as the season reaches its decisive stage.