Kevin De Bruyne played a starring role as Manchester City came from 2-0 down to beat Crystal Palace 5-2 at the Etihad Stadium.
2024/2025 Premier League
5-2
Match Report
The Citizens captain – who confirmed last week he will leave the club at the end of the season – grabbed a goal and an assist as they boosted their hopes of Champions League qualification.
Goals from Eberechi Eze and Chris Richards put Palace in the driving seat midway through the first half, though De Bruyne's 25-yard free-kick gave City hope.
Omar Marmoush drilled home to drag City level before the break, and Pep Guardiola's team then produced arguably their best performance of the season in the second half.
Mateo Kovacic fired in from the edge of the box to make it 3-2, then James McAtee latched onto Ederson's searching pass to round Dean Henderson for City's fourth.
Fellow youngster Nico O'Reilly saw a volley deflect in late on to add some gloss to City's win, while Palace suffered their first defeat in 11 away Premier League games.
With Newcastle United and Chelsea not playing until Sunday, City took advantage to move above them into fourth, while Oliver Glasner's side stay 11th.
8 - Ederson's fourth Premier League assist of the season was the eighth by a goalkeeper in 2024-25, the joint-most in a single season in the competition along with 1992-93 and 2007-08. Route. pic.twitter.com/6IyVYlqmrK
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 12, 2025
Data Debrief: De Bruyne inspires City turnaround
This marked only the third time in Premier League history that a side won by a three-goal margin despite trailing by two goals, after Manchester United and Arsenal both achieved the feat against Tottenham in April 2009 and February 2012 respectively.
Not only that, but this was the first league game City had won after trailing by two or more goals since they beat Spurs 4-2 in January 2023.
Ironically, the last time Palace lost a Premier League match when leading by two or more goals also came against City at the Etihad in August 2022.
De Bruyne sparked City's revival with his 30th Premier League goal from outside the penalty area, becoming the sixth player to reach that tally.
And after teeing up Kovacic, the Belgian has now scored and assisted in 28 different Premier League games, with only Mohamed Salah (42), Wayne Rooney (36), Thierry Henry (32) and Alan Shearer (31) doing so more often in the competition's history.
Meanwhile, Ederson claimed his fourth league assist of the season with his superb diagonal ball to McAtee, who scored on his maiden start in the division.
Ederson's assist was the eighth by a goalkeeper in 2024-25, the joint-most in a single season in the competition along with 1992-93 and 2007-08.
Match Events
0' The match is about to start!
4' Jean-Philippe Mateta heads wide of the goal, but he was offside!
5' McAtee finish is easily held by Henderson in the Palace goal!
8' GOAL! Eze tucks it home from the Ismaïla Sarr cross! Man City 0-1 Crystal Palace
13' De Bruyne with a superb run and pass through to Marmoush on the run!
21' GOAL! Richards rises highest to head home closely! Man City 0-2 Crystal Palace
21' Match Event for Man City vs Crystal Palace
24' Highlight from Man City vs Crystal Palace
26' Sarr this time lifts his finish over from Kamada cross!
28' Brilliant finish from Eze, but he is just offside!
33' GOAL! De Bruyne thumps a free-kick over the wall! Man City 1-2 Crystal Palace
34' Match Event for Man City vs Crystal Palace
36' GOAL! Marmoush smashs the finish into the net! Man City 2-2 Crystal Palace
46' Will Hughes is on for Jean-Philippe Mateta!
47' GOAL! Kovacic slams it into the corner of the net! Man City 3-2 Crystal Palace
47' De Bruyne chance! Great touch past Lacroix, but he blasts over!
55' GOAL! McAtee slips it into net with pass by Ederson! Man City 4-2 Crystal Palace
60' De Bruyne crosses for Marmoush, Henderson saves, Gundogan blocked on rebound!
71' Off goes Ederson for the home side with Ortega introduced for the home side!
79' GOAL! O'Reilly guides volley into corner of net! Man City 5-2 Crystal Palace
82' Oscar Bobb replaces Omar Marmoush as Savinho takes over from James McAtee!
87' De Bruyne gets a standing ovation from City fans as Doku replaces him!
93' Match Event for Man City vs Crystal Palace
Line-ups
Man City XI: Gundogan, De Bruyne, Kovacic, Ederson, Ruben Dias, Omar Marmoush, Nico González, Gvardiol, McAtee, Lewis, Nico O'Reilly
Subs: Ortega, Grealish, Bernardo Silva, Matheus Nunes, Doku, Bobb, Savinho, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis
Crystal Palace XI: Lerma, Dean Henderson, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Kamada, Sarr, Eberechi Eze, Daniel Muñoz, Maxence Lacroix, Chris Richards, Tyrick Mitchell, Adam Wharton
Subs: Ward, Clyne, Hughes, Remi Matthews, Chilwell, Justin Devenny, Matheus França, Franco Umeh-Chibueze, Caleb Kporha