We’ve missed De Bruyne magic, says Guardiola

PEP GUARDIOLA hailed two-goal Kevin De Bruyne as Manchester City made it seven wins in a row with the rout of Leeds. City extended their lead at the top to four points with their biggest win of the season, as Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Riyad Mahrez, John Stones and Nathan Ake also got on the scoresheet. On De Bruyne, who hit his first goals since October, Guardiola said: ‘He’s phenomenal. We need him. He’s so important for us. He is devastating.’ De Bruyne dominated on his first Premier League start in a month after contracting Covid and hit the goal of the night with a thunderous long-range strike. ‘He is humble enough to accept he has to work,’ Guardiola said. ‘He trained really well in the last two days and in a type of game like this, which is a little bit more open, he is the best. ‘We are really pleased because we miss him.’ De Bruyne added: ‘A lot has happened this year, a little bit out of out of my control. At the time I was coming back, I got Covid. It happened and now we are working hard to come back to a good level.’ Guardiola also praised City’s fans, having previously criticised poor attendances at the Etihad, especially at midweek games. ‘The vibe of the stadium was phenomenal,’ he added. ‘It was sold out, when this happens the players felt it, thank you to so much to all of them.’ After Leeds’ worst-ever Premier League defeat and the first time he has conceded seven goals in his managerial career, Marcelo Bielsa said: ‘It is the worst performance in four years. ‘You can deflect the attention when some things work and some things don’t but when nothing works, it is the decisions of the one in charge that defines what happen.’