City send off their greatest in style
Guardiola’s men shake off their Wembley blues to give Kevin De Bruyne the perfect goodbye, and the returning Rodri a long-awaited hello
It’s often said there’s no perfect way to say goodbye, but Kevin De Bruyne’s farewell to Manchester came mighty close. City consolidated third place in the Premier League and a likely place in next season’s Champions League with a comfortable win over Bournemouth. Even more important was the first appearance since September of their talisman and reigning Ballon d’Or winner, Rodri.
Omar Marmoush was more lethal from 30 yards than he had been from 12 in the FA Cup final, and he was joined on the scoresheet by mercurial midfielders old and new in Bernardo Silva and Nico Gonzalez. Daniel Jebbison’s consolation with the last kick of the game mattered to no one but him, as Andoni Iraola’s side suffered a twelfth defeat of a remarkable campaign that is in danger of petering out.
The last game of the season at the Etihad often has a festival feeling - sunshine, smiles and the glitter of silverware are usually part of the furniture. The latter was conspicuous by its absence after the first trophyless season since Pep Guardiola’s first in Manchester.
However, the pre-match atmosphere was still joyful, as the crowds flocked to celebrate the greatest player of their golden generation. It was standing room only on the touchline as De Bruyne came out to warm up, camera phones and necks stretching to catch a glimpse of that famous shock of blonde hair.
The Belgian will soon be a part of City’s past, but unnoticed a few yards away stood a man still crucial to their future. Almost eight months to the day since he ruptured his ACL, Rodri was back in the matchday squad, desperate to leave his mark on his captain’s big day. The interesting question for the summer is how many others will be here next year. The trio alongside De Bruyne in midfield, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan and Mateo Kovacic, had a combined age of 95, while the more spritely Nicos - Gonzalez and O’Reilly - remained on the bench.
Gonzalez was one of the only imports from City’s £200m January spending spree who had found regular minutes. The other was Omar Marmoush, and after 15 minutes, he showed exactly why he had made the transition to first-team regular. Picking the ball up in the centre circle, he drove forward unopposed, as if Bournemouth were inviting him to shoot. The Egyptian made them regret that decision with a 30-yard piledriver that swerved into the top corner.
His 7th league goal for City and 27th of a breakthrough season that began in Frankfurt was truly a thing of beauty. A marvel of technique, bravery and brilliance that features all too infrequently in the modern game. Kepa Arrizabalaga would have had flashbacks to Marmoush’s countryman and mentor, Mohamed Salah, who blasted a similarly unstoppable strike beyond him in 2019 when he was in Chelsea yellow.
Marmoush had delivered a bolt from the blue, but the Blues had held the upper hand since kick-off. Silva, in particular, was causing mischief, finding pockets of space behind the Bournemouth midfield shield of Lewis Cook & Tyler Adams. The away side, clinging on to European ambitions of their own, were firmly bit-part players. Moments later, the main man could and should have given the crowd what they wanted.
Marmoush found space outside of Julian Arajuo and slid the ball across the six-yard box, taking out the rest of the Bournemouth defence in the process, towards the waiting De Bruyne. All he had to do was tap the ball into the empty net, but he inexplicably found the crossbar, to the horror of all inside the Etihad. A sea of hands grasped their heads, unable to comprehend that such a marvellous footballer could make such a heinous mistake.
The sense of deflation spread, and soon Bournemouth could have crafted an equaliser. Dean Huijsen showed the passing ability that attracted Real Madrid, lifting a searching ball into the channel for Marcus Tavernier to chase. His centre came in on the half volley, and the stretching Evanilson could only strike the upright. Huijsen’s next contribution was less favourable, earning a caution for a cynical challenge some 70 yards from his own goal. His manager was even less impressed 60 seconds later.
A poor clearance from his own box allowed City to maintain pressure. Gundogan and Silva used the intuition they have built up over the last seven years, swapping passes to allow the Portuguese to slot home at the near post from close range. Unlike at Wembley, the scoreline reflected City’s dominance of the ball and the chances. Where they were stiff on Saturday, here they were free, eager and intense. As always, Guardiola lived every second on the sideline, passionately slapping Kovacic on the bum after one block, and frantically waving for the fans to give more appreciation for what they were watching.
The atmosphere wasn’t maintained into the second half, which began to resemble a testimonial. Only when City’s number 17 had the ball did the volume rise. Bournemouth used the malaise to gain a foothold, but they couldn’t test Ederson. Antoine Semenyo danced across the edge of the area but could only fire high, wide and handsome. Suddenly, another eruption of noise. The sight of Rodri jogging along the touchline ignited the crowd like a goal.
Any hopes that he might see action looked to have been extinguished just after an hour. Josko Gvardiol played a pass towards his Croatian teammate. Unfortunately for him Kovacic wasn’t looking at the ball, or Evanilson over his left shoulder, racing onto it. Kovacic felt that he had no option but to bring him down, and despite being more than 40 yards from goal, referee Thomas Bramall felt he had no choice but to issue a red card.
The dismay deepened when the City faithful saw the Number 17 held on the substitutes board. The reshuffle called for Gonzalez, and that meant De Bruyne got his final curtain call. The Spaniard's first involvement levelled the man count. Cook flew into a tackle with both feet off the ground and studs showing. Gonzalez was lucky that he wasn’t caught flush on the ankle, but despite Andoni Iraola’s protests, there could be no complaints at another dismissal within two minutes.
Any hope of a revival left with the Bournemouth captain, which prompted a change of heart from Guardiola. With 10 minutes remaining. Rodri returned. It would be unfair to De Bruyne to call it the loudest cheer of the night, but the throaty roar encapsulated relief, and hope that their dysfunctional season could be consigned to history.
The cherry on the cake was delivered by the man who will likely partner Rodri in midfield next season. Matheus Nunes played Gonazalez into space, and after twisting beyond Adam Smith, he curled a delicious strike into the top corner. As injury time ticked over, there was time for another pair of rarely seen faces to reemerge - Oscar Bobb & Jack Grealish. What extent those two will be involved remains to be seen, but those are questions for another day.
Nunes blotted his copybook with an assist at the other end. A simple pass to Ruben Dias was misplaced, and substitute Daniel Jebbison squeezed the ball under Ederson to give the Bournemouth fans something to warm them on the long journey home.
Where De Bruyne’s journey takes him next is still unknown. Rumours abound that he’s talking to English clubs, and it would be fascinating to see what effect on his legacy a move to Arsenal, or even Liverpool, would have. As is the modern way, there is already a mural in his honour. At the training ground, a mosaic adorns Kevin De Bruyne crescent, and soon he will be immortalised in bronze outside the Etihad. A plethora of former teammates and coaches appeared on the big screen to sing his praises. Many players have been given this level of pomp and ceremony, but few have deserved it as much.
His parting words from the pitch spoke of his love of the city and his belief that City will be back fighting for trophies next season. A lot will depend on how this summer shapes up, for them and their rivals, but tonight was a reminder that this club knows what success looks like, and it’s a feeling that they still crave.