Kevin De Bruyne quadruple sends Man City clear of Liverpool FC again

The look on Phil Foden’s face said it all as Kevin De Bruyne gave Manchester City breathing space in a breathless title race. The Blues youngster pointed at his incredible teammate and shook his head in disbelief as he helped the Belgian maestro celebrate a 24-minute hat-trick.

De Bruyne added a fourth in the second half and that remarkable quadruple puts City three points clear of chasing Liverpool, with both teams still having two games to play. The Blues cannot clinch the title at West Ham on Sunday, but they can go within a point of doing so - and their ever-widening goal difference advantage over Jurgen Klopp’s team, now standing at seven, means they might not even need that.

De Bruyne celebrated his hat-trick goal with an Erling Haaland-style celebration. a nod to the Borussia Dortmund hitman who will join the Blues this summer. The big Norwegian is expected to bring even more goals to the party for the Blues, but De Bruyne made it plain that there is a standard to be met when it comes to finishing!

ALSO READ:Man City player ratings

What made De Bruyne's feat all the more remarkable was that his first three goals came with his so-called “weaker” left foot. Legend has it his friend’s dad would only allow him to play football in his garden if he used his left foot, as he was fed up of the more powerful right peg crashing the ball into his flowers.

These days he is not battering blooms, simply smashing opponents - and he was the width of the post away from a fifth that would have equalled the Premier League goalscoring record in a single match. Patrice Evra said this week that City lack leaders - and if he meant shouty, fist-pumping, sinew-straining tough men, he might have a point.

But De Bruyne is a leader in his