New Delhi [India], February 1 (ANI): Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne went past former England forward Wayne Rooney to become third for all-time Premier League assists.
The Belgian midfielder registered his 104th assist during Manchester City’s 3-1 victory over Burnley on Thursday.
He is just seven assists shy of matching Cesc Fabregas who sits on second spot with 111 assists to his name. Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs holds the top spot with a tally of 162.
De Bruyne already broke the record for the quickest player to reach 100 assists in the league. He achieved the feat of hitting three figures in just 237 appearances.
He surpassed Fabregas’s tally of 103 after playing 56 games less than him. The Spanish midfielder needed 293 appearances to reach 103, but De Bruyne managed to do it in 237.
The Belgian missed out on almost five months of action due to injury and has only made six appearances in all competitions this season. But the Belgian has made his presence felt by directly being involved in five goals with one goal and four assists.
With this win, Manchester City reduced the gap at the top of the table and currently sit five points behind table topper Liverpool with a game in hand.
Liverpool sit at the top with 51 points while Manchester City are in second with 46 points. If the defending champions win their game in hand they can reduce the deficit to two.
Arsenal are also close to Liverpool as they hold the third spot with 46 points but are only behind Manchester City due to goal difference.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola talked about the title race and feels that there are more than three teams in contention to take away the league title.
“We are there. The important thing is that we are still there and that is really-really nice after what we have come from this season. We know if we drop points, with the quality of Arsenal and Liverpool, we are in trouble. I don’t have the feeling they are going to drop many points. That’s why we have to win as many games as possible. Then, in the end, we will see what happens,” Pep said as quoted from Sky Sports.
“We have to be ready and the players know it. We push each other every time. I would say the right mentality is there. I don’t have any doubts about that. I think we are going to try. I don’t think it’s just three [teams in the title race]. Tottenham are still there. Aston Villa are still there. It can change. My feeling when I see Arsenal play is that they control many aspects. When I see Liverpool, every game they are better than the opponent. I know how strong they are. But still, we are there. We want to continue,” Pep added.
Manchester City will play their next game on Tuesday against Brentford. (ANI)
