Kevin De Bruyne killed Manchester United curse and can do same for Man City in Champions League

It was rather fitting that Kevin De Bruyne overcame a personal hoodoo to help Manchester City end their collective home derby curse against Manchester United.

It's been an uneven season at times for De Bruyne, but the Belgian midfielder was at his very best as City saw off their beleaguered rivals 4-1 on Sunday.

The captain for the day scored twice in the first half before assisting Riyad Mahrez as City brought an atrocious run of form against United at the Etihad Stadium to an end.

Before Sunday, the Blues had lost three consecutive derbies on their own patch, with their previous win in November 2018. De Bruyne didn't play in that 3-1 victory, meaning that City's latest triumph is his first home win in the derby in seven years at the club.

Perhaps even more remarkably, his opening goal on Sunday was the first time he had scored against United since September 2016, when he bagged the opener in a 2-1 win at Old Trafford.

Such a long barren spell in a huge fixture like the Manchester derby is unusual for a player of De Bruyne's quality but it's clear that City's number 17 is at the top of his game once more.

"He's back at his best. He played with pain at the beginning of the season but Kevin is back at his best," Guardiola told Sky Sports after the game.

What's noticeable about De Bruyne this season is that while he may be providing fewer assists, he is finding himself in more goal-scoring situations. In 21 Premier League appearances he has scored nine goals.

"I am so delighted that he is scoring goals," Guardiola said. "I always speak to him: 'Yeah, you are focusing on assist, assist, it's okay but you have to score goals to win games."

Crucially, De Bruyne's goals are coming in the biggest games. His haul this season