These are the moments that you might have missed as Manchester City sealed their qualifying for the Champions League in the final game of the season, which was played at Fulham.
After Kevin De Bruyne’s farewell match for Manchester City, the club was victorious over Fulham, which earned Manchester City a spot in the Champions League for the next season.
Due to the fact that De Bruyne is virtually certainly not going to participate in the Club World Cup, it is quite possible that his late cameo appearance at Craven Cottage will be his final performance while wearing a City shirt.
As a tough season comes to a close on a positive note, City was able to secure the three points they required to finish in third place thanks to the overhead kick taken by Ilkay Gundogan and the penalty earned by Erling Haaland.
The response that Bernardo gave says it all.
Matheus Nunes’ attempt at a close-range chip was blocked by Bernd Leno, but the looping ball was hammered into the back of the net via the bar by an audacious Ilkay Gundogan overhead kick. The opportunity appeared to have been lost when Bernd Leno blocked the chip.
Even though Gundogan does not score very frequently, when he does, he is quietly capable of achieving exquisite results. The goal that he scored against Manchester United at Wembley in 2023 was outrageous because it was scored so early in the game. However, his acrobatic flip against Everton in the same run-in was undoubtedly a better finish. Prior to his departure, he worked tirelessly to bring City to the verge of winning the treble during that season. His return this season was marked by a lacklustre performance, but he has bounced back to finish the season with a good performance.
This encounter, on the other hand, has not resulted in any goals, despite the fact that it has resulted in him being reinstated as a regular player as City has finally discovered a strategy that is successful. On the other hand, after deftly inserting Bernardo Silva into the lineup against Bournemouth a few days earlier, here he was reversing the course of history and bringing City back into the Champions League.
While the City players were running off to celebrate with Gundogan, Bernardo couldn’t believe what he’d witnessed and had his hands on his head as he hurried to join the player who scored the goal. It is a fitting conclusion to a season that has not gone quite as planned for Gundogan, but City will be terrified to consider where they would have been if he had not been a part of their team.
The gesture made by Dias and Guardiola’s response
Notwithstanding the fact that Omar Marmoush missed the penalty kick in the FA Cup final, Pep Guardiola claimed before the game that he would not interfere with the process of taking the penalty. On the other hand, there was a brief reminder that “everyone knows who the taker is,” which it is possible was directed towards Haaland.
The decision that Haaland made to abdicate his responsibilities at Wembley has received a great deal of attention; nevertheless, it was never in question at Craven Cottage. Ruben Dias swiftly seized possession of the ball after Gundogan was tripped, and Haaland had some time to formulate his thoughts.
As soon as the penalty was called, Dias gave the ball to Haaland and gave him a bear embrace before the number nine player put the ball in the penalty spot. Guardiola went a few feet away from his dugout before throwing out a massive double fist pump into the sky over West London. He was filled with relief as Haaland rolled the ball into the net. Before the summer arrives, he will be grateful that the ‘problem’ with the penalties has been concluded.
Dias is a model for others to follow.
Guardiola previously stated that he did not intend to intervene with penalties; nevertheless, he will consider his role in the selection of the next captain for City United. He is not going to entertain the idea of Kyle Walker coming back, and De Bruyne is not going to stay. As a result, Dias is now in an excellent position to succeed De Bruyne as captain, and the Portuguese player has been performing his own audition for the post for some weeks now.
During the impassioned huddle that he led prior to the start of the match against Fulham, he covered his mouth after noticing that the television camera was looking in between his legs. Nico Gonzalez was criticised by him for making a terrible ball back to defence, which put him under pressure. He continued to return to the point for the subsequent few minutes following the incident.
Dias was the one who took charge of the penalty situation, holding the ball for Haaland and giving him an embrace that was meant to inspire him. He rushed over to hand the armband to De Bruyne before De Bruyne had even come on, which was a clear indication of the regard that he had for De Bruyne. It is a clear indication that Dias desires full-time employment while still maintaining a respect for the hierarchy.
The outcome of the audition is yet unknown; it is possible that Guardiola may choose someone himself, but it is also possible that the audition was sufficient.
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