Kevin De Bruyne waves Etihad goodbye with classy speech on Man City farewell

Kevin De Bruyne was given an emotional Etihad send-off as Manchester City moved to within touching distance of qualifying for the Champions League.

De Bruyne, 33, captained Pep Guardiola's men to a victory that lifted the Blues into third place - and a point at Fulham on Sunday will guarantee their place amongst Europe's elite. The Belgian international has been devastated by City's decision not to offer him a new contract after a trophy-laden decade in Manchester.

City's fans unveiled a giant banner before kick-off hailing De Bruyne as 'King Kev.' He was given a standing ovation that even included Bournemouth's travelling supporters when he was substituted in the 69th minute. De Bruyne said: “I want to bring joy to people, play offensive football, be creative and have fun.

“I think we had a lot of fun in these 10 years, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. I think we created something incredible to make this club better than where it was before.”

De Bruyne, who should have marked the occasion with a goal only to sweep a close-range shot against the crossbar, added: “It was terrible, terrible! There are no excuses. My son is going to be very hard on me today. I think life and a career is a journey, with ups and some downs, and you have to get through every moment and enjoy it.”