The Belgian has set a new bar for creative consistency in the final third in England’s top flight
Kevin De Bruyne made Premier League history on Tuesday as he became the first player to provide 15 or more assists in three separate seasons.
The brilliant Belgian laid on the winning goal for Sergio Aguero as Manchester City beat Sheffield United 1-0 at Bramall Lane.
In doing so, De Bruyne racked up his 15th assist of a typically creative campaign, adding to his playmaking exploits of 2016-17 (18 assists) and 2017-18 (16).
The 28-year-old is also on course to enjoy his most prolific goalscoring season in the English top-flight, having netted seven times to move within one of the total of eight he achieved two seasons ago.
De Bruyne proved to be the difference on Tuesday, with Sheffield showing exactly why they have risen to seventh in the Premier League.
Blades manager Chris Wilder was adamant his side gave a good account of themselves, as he told Match of the Day: “Kevin De Bruyne has found an amazing pass and the movement of Sergio Aguero, he’s done that to everyone in Europe and the world, it’s a great finish.
“I’ve got nothing but an enormous amount of pride for my team, we went toe-to-toe with them.
“When opportunities arise you have to show a little bit of quality and we didn’t do that sadly. Games like this are what we’re here for, we’ve worked really hard to get here, we want no regrets and I don’t think there were any tonight.
“When teams come here, we want to make sure they go through the mixer to get a result and I do believe Pep, his staff, the players and the fans will believe it’s been a difficult night for them.”
Man City boss Pep Guardiola felt his side dominated the game but gave credit to the Blades for sticking to their game plan.
“We knew it would be a difficult place to come. We concede one or two clear chances, nothing more than that,” he said.
“In the first half, the keeper was excellent with the penalty and two incredible saves, it was an incredibly good victory for us to take a step towards securing Champions League football next season.
“In the first half we were a little bit shy to play, but in the second half we were a little bit more like we are. But we controlled it really well, the chance to score goals.
“What Sheffield United do, they do it perfectly. They’ve been together for five years so their spirit is so good. They are so good at the second balls and arrive with a lot of people in the final third.”
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