Kevin de Bruyne pleased with Manchester City's return to form

Kevin de Bruyne (33) capitalized on his first start since September by contributing a goal and an assist in Wednesday's 3-0 victory against Nottingham Forest.

He expressed satisfaction that Manchester City secured three points following a streak of four consecutive losses in the Premier League.

"It is crucial that we won this match," the midfielder stated on the club's official website. "We began the game positively, creating several opportunities, although there were a few errors, including some on my part. Nevertheless, I am pleased with our overall performance."

The Belgian international, who has recently returned from a month-long absence due to a groin injury and has been appearing as a substitute, acknowledged that injuries have hindered City's pursuit of a fifth consecutive league title.

"This has been a challenging period, but we are striving to turn things around. Unfortunately, we have several players sidelined due to injuries, which has been a recurring issue this season. However, we will endeavor to recover as swiftly as possible."

De Bruyne also expressed his contentment that City, who are missing key defensive midfielder Rodri for the remainder of the season due to a cruciate ligament injury, managed to achieve their first clean sheet in eight matches across all competitions.

"While we did concede a few chances, I believe our performance in the second half was quite strong," he remarked.

Currently sitting fourth in the league standings with 26 points, City will face Crystal Palace on Saturday.

SportsLigue