Kevin De Bruyne registered his ninth assist in 16 Premier League matches by smashing a no-look, cross-field volley straight at Raheem Sterling, allowing the Englishman to beat Petr Cech at his near post for Manchester City’s go-ahead goal on Sunday.
De Bruyne was on another level, playing a near-perfect match to keep City on the heels of Chelsea at the Premier League summit. Without the suspended Sergio Aguero, City’s attacking trident of De Bruyne, Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling seemed destined to weave pointlessly intricate patterns of possession but little else for City, but the incisive play of De Bruyne proved critical. The Citizens smashed Arsenal with a superb second half display.
It was De Bruyne’s 38th assist since the start of the 2014-15 season, putting him ahead of the likes of Mesut Ozil, Angel Di Maria and Lionel Messi for the most assists in Europe’s top 5 leagues over that period.
City return to action on December 26th against Hull City before a massive clash against Liverpool on New Year’s Eve.