With Rodri’s Return and Kevin De Bruyne’s Departure, Man City Close in on Champions League
Manchester City strengthened their Champions League qualification prospects with a crucial 3-1 victory over Bournemouth on Tuesday, marking an emotional farewell for Kevin De Bruyne in his final home appearance. The win, secured through goals from Omar Marmoush, Bernardo Silva, and Nico Gonzalez, propelled City to third place heading into the season’s concluding fixtures.
The match featured dramatic moments including a red card for City’s Mateo Kovacic with 20 minutes remaining, quickly followed by Bournemouth’s Lewis Cook also being dismissed for a dangerous challenge on Gonzalez.
City supporters had additional reason to celebrate when Ballon d’Or recipient Rodri made his long-awaited return as a substitute, his first appearance since suffering a significant knee injury in September.
Thank you, @KevinDeBruyne 👑 pic.twitter.com/L2ZFrr0HsN
— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 20, 2025
With this result, Manchester City need only a single point from their final match at Fulham to guarantee a top-five finish, benefiting from their substantially better goal difference compared to sixth-placed Aston Villa.
The victory came just three days after City’s disappointing FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace, requiring the team to regroup for an emotionally charged evening at the Etihad Stadium honoring De Bruyne’s decade-long City career.
Earlier that day, the club had unveiled a mosaic and named a road at their training facility in tribute to the Belgian star, who accumulated six Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy during his Manchester tenure. De Bruyne led the teams onto the field beneath an enormous “King Kev” banner.
Marmoush Redemption
Marmoush, who missed a penalty during City’s Wembley defeat that ensured their first trophyless season since Guardiola’s inaugural 2016/17 campaign, found redemption with a spectacular long-range strike that ricocheted in off the inside post after 14 minutes.
The Egyptian forward nearly created a storybook moment shortly afterward when he set up De Bruyne with an open goal opportunity, but the Belgian captain surprisingly lifted his shot onto the crossbar from close range.
City’s narrow advantage remained precarious when Bournemouth’s Evanilson struck the woodwork with a golden opportunity to equalize.
The hosts doubled their lead before halftime when Ilkay Gundogan delivered a clever reverse pass to Silva, who fired home at the near post, prompting enthusiastic celebrations from manager Pep Guardiola.
The City boss’s mood darkened when Kovacic received a straight red card for bringing down Evanilson following Josko Gvardiol’s errant pass. This dismissal expedited De Bruyne’s farewell as he was substituted for Gonzalez to a standing ovation.
The numerical disadvantage lasted just six minutes before Cook was ejected for a high challenge on Gonzalez’s shin.
Rodri’s return to action generated applause nearly matching De Bruyne’s departure. The Spanish midfielder’s absence has been widely attributed to City’s diminished performance this season.
Gonzalez, acquired in January partly to compensate for Rodri’s unavailability but struggling to secure regular playing time, curled in his first Premier League goal in the 89th minute, before Daniel Jebbison notched a late consolation for Bournemouth.
The defeat ends Bournemouth’s hopes of qualifying for European competition for the first time in club history, as they remain 11th and can no longer overtake eighth-placed Brighton.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace showed no signs of post-cup celebration lethargy, defeating Wolves 4-2 at Selhurst Park. Eddie Nketiah capitalized on a rare starting opportunity with two goals, while FA Cup final hero Eberechi Eze also found the scoresheet.