Champions League: Manchester City 4-3 Tottenham Hotspur (4-4 on aggregate) - 5 talking points

#3 De Bruyne makes a point, returning players make a mark

De Bruyne shows his class with an excellent performance

One of the strange decisions made by Guardiola was to drop Kevin De Bruyne in the away leg. And given his exemplary performance yesterday, in hindsight, the move seems pretty bizarre. De Bruyne movement, energy, and passing genius are unmatchable. The weight on the pass for Sterling’s second was exquisite while his direct running and powerful drive in midfield were a common theme in the game.

De Bruyne reminds everyone so much Yaya Toure in his pomp when he used to dominate games with his physical stature to brush past midfielders and then unleash a powerful shot or link up with his teammates. De Bruyne is quite similar as his directness gives City another dimension.

The Belgian became the first player to deliver three assists in a Champions League quarter-final since Ryan Giggs achieved the feat with Manchester United against Roma in 2007.

He also interchanged smoothly with Bernardo Silva, who along with Sterling, has been a standout figure at City this season. The Portuguese missed the first leg through injury and was an upgrade on the ineffective Riyad Mahrez. Both these returning players strengthened the City line up and did all in their power to get City over the line.