In the dying embers of a mighty struggle for Manchester City, Kevin de Bruyne dashed down the right flank before checking inside and playing a pass to Ilkay Gundogan.
And then, he did something he rarely does. He did not continue his participation in the home attack, standing and watching as Gundogan’s attempted assist bounced beyond Phil Foden. De Bruyne looked exhausted, his cheeks redder than normal, sucking in air. He had been utterly tireless in his leadership of City’s attempts to win this match after Joao Cancelo had been sent off less than half an hour into proceedings.
He had been constantly demanding the ball, constantly seeking to regain possession on the rare occasions City lost it. He defended when he had to, took set-pieces, rallied his team-mates when frustration began to set up.
