Winning Etihad farewell for De Bruyne puts Champions League on horizon

Manchester City cruised to a 3-1 win over Bournemouth on Kevin De Bruyne’s Etihad Stadium farewell to put themselves on the brink of Champions League qualification.

City did not let the disappointment of their FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace linger as they ensured De Bruyne’s final home game for the club was capped with a win that moves Pep Guardiola’s men into third and leaves them needing just a point at Fulham on the final day to be sure of a place in the Champions League.

Omar Marmoush’s sublime 30-yard strike put City on their way in the 14th minute and, after a bemusing miss from De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva made it 2-0 seven minutes before half-time.

There was a red card for each side in the second half as Mateo Kovacic was sent off in the 67th minute before Lewis Cook followed him down the tunnel six minutes later.

City were able to celebrate the return of Rodri from an ACL injury as he came off the bench, with Nico Gonzalez capping off a routine win in the 89th minute. Daniel Jebbison’s stoppage-time effort was scant consolation for a Bournemouth team whose hopes of European football are now over.

Manchester City v Bournemouth

City started brightly as Kovacic slipped while firing wide from long range and Matheus Nunes had the ball smothered by Kepa Arrizabalaga before he could pull the trigger.

Yet there was nobody to prevent Marmoush from letting fly with a shot that viciously dipped towards the top-left corner and flew in off the post.

The woodwork was City’s friend as it helped that outstanding effort on its way, but De Bruyne was cursing his luck when he somehow hit the underside of the bar from point-blank range with the goal gaping from Marmoush’s pull back.

Fortune smiled on City, however, as Evanilson struck the post at the other end after excellent build-up involving Real Madrid-bound Dean Huijsen and Marcus Tavernier, and Bournemouth were given a mountain to climb soon after.

The Cherries’ failure to clear their lines was punished ruthlessly as Ilkay Gundogan recovered from a poor touch to steer the ball into the path of Bernardo to slide home a second.

Kepa then needed to produce an instinctive reaction save to keep out Gundogan’s deflected long-range effort shortly before half-time.

City were in cruise control in the second half, though they appeared to have given Bournemouth hope when Kovacic was sent off for pulling down Evanilson as he looked to surge onto a stray pass and go through on goal.

That dismissal prompted a reshuffle from Pep Guardiola that involved the substitution of De Bruyne to a rapturous standing ovation, but Bournemouth’s personnel advantage evaporated as Cook saw red.

Cook got some of the ball in his challenge with Gonzalez, but a follow through high on the substitute’s shin left Thomas Bramall with no choice but to give him his marching orders.

That ended any thought of a comeback and, after Rodri replaced Haaland for his first appearance in almost eight months to raucous approval, Gonzalez bent brilliantly beyond Kepa.

Jebbison pounced on a defensive mistake to make it more flattering for Bournemouth with almost the last kick on a night on which their efforts to spoil De Bruyne’s party proved feeble.