De Bruyne put City ahead in the 7th minute with a diagonal shot from the left. His compatriot Leander Dendoncker then equalized, after which De Bruyne was accurate twice more within half an hour – again with the left. After an hour he made his fourth with the right, after which Raheem Sterling determined the final score at 1-5 just before time.
The Belgian was the second City player to score four times in a league game. In 2011, Edin Dzeko succeeded against Tottenham Hotspur (5-1).
Two more rounds of play
De Bruyne increased his goal total to fifteen. He passed Sterling (thirteen goals) as Manchester City’s top scorer this season.
City – where Nathan Ake came in after an hour – again took 3 points away from Liverpool, who won 2-1 at Aston Villa on Tuesday. There are still two rounds to go in the Premier League. City still plays against West Ham United and at home against Aston Villa, Liverpool still faces Southampton (away) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (home).
Chelsea close to Champions League ticket after victory over Leeds
Chelsea are one step closer to playing in the Champions League next season. The club from London beat relegation candidate Leeds United 3-0.
Chelsea are in third place with 70 points with two games left to play, 8 more than Tottenham Hotspur in fifth place. The Spurs have three games left to play. The numbers 3 and 4 of the Premier League qualify for the most important European club tournament. Manchester City and Liverpool are already sure of that.
Enforcement is becoming increasingly difficult for Leeds. The team is in eighteenth place with 34 points and will be relegated if they stay there. Burnley also has 34 points, but played one game less and a better goal difference.
Mason Mount scored for Chelsea in the 4th minute. He got the ball back from Reece James and was able to shoot hard unhindered. Leeds, where Pascal Struijk played the entire match, had to continue with ten men halfway through the first half. Daniel James was shown a red card for a hard foul on Mateo Kovacic.
In the second half, Christian Pulisic put Chelsea 2-0. Romelu Lukaku scored the third goal in the final phase.
Trainer Frank Lampard took a point with Everton at the already relegated Watford: 0-0. Everton, where Donny van de Beek was missing due to an injury, is on 36 points, 2 points more than Leeds. In addition, the club from Liverpool has played one game less.
Leicester City won 3-0 against last-placed Norwich City, which has also already been relegated. Jamie Vardy scored twice after the break, James Maddison scored the third.
Atlético are certain of participating in the Champions League after winning
Atlético Madrid will also play in the Champions League next season. The formation of trainer Diego Simeone won on Wednesday at Elche (0-2) and thus definitely secured a place in the top four of Spain.
The Belgian Yannick Carrasco gave Atlético the lead after about half an hour. After the restart, Rodrigo De Paul made the second goal for the Madrilenians.
Real Madrid are already champions of Spain. Barcelona has also qualified for the Champions League. Sevilla is the main candidate for the fourth ticket.