De Bruyne takes down former club Chelsea

Kevin De Bruyne felt he was never given a fair chance during an 18-month spell at Chelsea where he played nine games before asking to be sold for the sake of his career.

Nearly four years later, the Belgium midfielder returned to Stamford Bridge as a highly coveted and more rounded player with Manchester City, and showed his former club exactly what it lost.

De Bruyne helped City assert control of the biggest game of the English Premier League so far, then secured a 1-0 win with a 25-meter shot that flew into the top corner in the 67th minute.

“What happened, happened,” De Bruyne said. “I have no regrets coming here — it made me stronger in my ways.”

Playing in a deeper role as a center midfielder rather than as the winger who arrived at Chelsea in August 2012, De Bruyne is proving to be a crucial part of a City team that has won six of its seven league games — drawing the other one — and is unbeaten in 10 matches in all competitions.

Even without Sergio Aguero and Benjamin Mendy, who sustained injuries over the past week, City dominated Chelsea in what left back Fabien Delph described as a “big message” to the rest of the league.

City stayed in first place on goal difference from Manchester United, which won 4-0 against a beleaguered Crystal Palace side that is still without a point or a goal.

Romelu Lukaku scored his 11th goal in 10 games for United this season. Another player who cannot stop scoring is Harry Kane, who finished September with 13 goals by scoring twice in Tottenham’s 4-0 win at Huddersfield. ANOTHER BIG WIN » United has four 4-0 wins in the league, a huge upgrade on last season when the team’s title challenge faltered because of its profligacy. It helps having Lukaku in this kind of scoring form, although the striker had a quiet afternoon at Old Trafford by his high standards until he completed the scoring in the 86th minute. He scored for the sixth straight club game. KANE’S SPREE » Kane extended his bewildering run of goals in September by scoring twice in the first 23 minutes at Huddersfield, either side of Ben Davies’ goal. “It’s difficult to find different words every three days,” Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino said of Kane, who he has lavished with praise in recent weeks — even saying he is “in love” with him. WINS FOR WEST HAM, STOKE » Late goals secured wins for Stoke and West Ham, and earned a point for Watford.

Peter Crouch was Stoke’s match-winner with an 85th-minute goal in a 2-1 victory over Southampton. Diafra Sakho scored in the 90th minute as West Ham beat Swansea 1-0 at London Stadium.

Richarlison left it even later for Watford, the Brazilian forward equalizing in the fifth minute of injury time in the 2-2 draw at West Bromwich Albion.

Leicester held on to draw at dominant Bournemouth 0-0.