Kevin de Bruyne produced a brilliant four-goal display to sink Wolves - and manager Pep Guardiola said he was "disappointed" he didn't score a fifth! The brilliant Belgian went within an ace of matching the Premier League goalscoring record in a game when he twanged a post late in the game, after scoring a hat-trick inside 17 first-half minutes and then adding a fourth in the second half.
And it was that miss, which cost him a place alongside five goalscoring greats including former City teammate Sergio Aguero, that had Guardiola frustrated: "I am disappointed for him because he missed the fifth goal, the post.
"What can I say? In the second part of the league (he) was beyond perfect. He is always so generous and has the sense to make an assist but I think this season he also has the sense to be prolific and score goals.
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"He won the game against Chelsea, he scored against Real Madrid. He has been decisive in scoring goals - this is what the greatest do. I am very pleased for him, scoring four goals in the decisive part of the league is so important."
De Bruyne has always maintained that he prefers creating goals to scoring them, but his four-goal haul at Molineux took him to 19 for the season, surpassing his previous best for a campaign of 16. And he has netted 11 in his last 13 games for the Blues, stepping up to the mark at the difficult end of the season.
Guardiola said he has spoken to De Bruyne about scoring more goals, and feels that the midfield ace has improved his output: "We spoke during the years that you have to arrive to the box, to be close to the box and to score, and this is the season he has done better and better.
"Hopefully he can continue for the rest of his career. I have the feeling now he is starting to enjoy scoring goals. Before it was just assists. Now he likes it when his teammates come to hug him because he scores!"
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