Man City needed the old Kevin De Bruyne at Wembley as FA Cup final vindicated ruthless call

The clock at Wembley was ticking towards the 99th minute as Kevin De Bruyne took possession of the ball in a central area, around 25 yards from goal. It was the kind of position from which he has wreaked untold havoc in defences for the last decade.

This time, the magic deserted him, and in truth, maybe the magic really has gone. His attempt to loft a ball over the top of the Crystal Palace defence had too much on it and drifted harmlessly out of play. With that, the FA Cup was in the hands of Palace.

This isn't how De Bruyne envisaged his final week at City beginning. Maybe he will have a moment against Bournemouth on Tuesday in his Etihad farewell, or in his final appearance against Fulham next week. Both of those games have something riding on them.

But this afternoon felt like the perfect opportunity for the 33-year-old to make his point. He doesn't want to leave City and feels like he is being ushered towards the exit when he still has something to give. His many suitors in Europe still think his talent deserves a home here, rather than in Saudi Arabia or the United States.

This is no longer peak De Bruyne, however. The injuries have taken their toll. The mind can still do what the body can't. He didn't turn this into his cup final, and although there were moments of quality, there were more moments when it just didn't work. Passes were under-hit. Crosses weren't accurate. Shots weren't hit cleanly.

De Bruyne scored in his first FA Cup appearance for City, a third-round win at Norwich in 2016. He's scored nine more in the competition since then, registered 18 assists, and lifted the trophy three times. There wouldn't be a fourth and final farewell.

It felt like an ominous start when De Bruyne left a sideways pass to