MANCHESTER, England — It was a goal worthy of winning the Premier League title, even if it is only January and there are still four months of the season to play. But with Kevin De Bruyne’s stunning 70th-minute goal sealing Manchester City’s 1-0 win against Chelsea, the reality is that the title race has been settled by a player who, in a league of big-money signings, is absolutely priceless.
After this first-versus-second clash, City now sit 13 points clear of Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea following a 12th successive league win. Third-place Liverpool are 14 points behind City with two games in hand, but even if they win those, it is difficult to imagine Jurgen Klopp’s team going on to overturn an eight-point deficit to win the title.
Forget those who will say that “anything can happen” in the final months of the season. City are cruising to a fourth Premier League title in five seasons, and De Bruyne’s goal, when he broke clear of N’Golo Kante’s challenge and burst forward before curling a right-foot shot beyond Kepa Arrizabalaga from 25 yards, was like a chef’s kiss for confirmation.
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“I didn’t see any pass, but then I saw a little gap between the defenders to bend it around them, and it worked,” De Bruyne said, with some understatement.
You can toss a coin to settle the debate as to whether De Bruyne or Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah is the best player in the Premier League. Both are incredibly influential on the fortunes of their team, but De Bruyne arguably flies under the radar more than Salah and sometimes doesn’t receive the credit his remarkable consistency deserves.
But it is worth putting De Bruyne’s value to City in another context.
This was a game in which the record signings of both clubs — City’s Jack Grealish and Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku — continued to struggle to justify their huge transfer fees and contracts. Grealish has flattered to deceive since his £100 million arrival…
Source : espn
