His sensational equaliser from a 30-yard free-kick was vintage De Bruyne, a ruthless combination of power and technique, which Kepa Arrizabalaga was powerless to stop.
It was also his 10th league goal of the season, which means, for the first time in his Premier League career, the Belgian maestro has reached double figures for goals and assists.
He is the first player in England’s top tier to do so this season.
DONATE NOW | Cityzens Giving for Recovery
With 16 assists, De Bruyne has been directly involved in 26 goals in just 29 league appearances.
It is his most prolific Premier League campaign to date and his return ranks him above every other player, three ahead of second place Mohamed Salah.
Six more goals or assists would see him break his personal best in the league, achieved with Wolfsburg in 2014/15, when he scored 10 goals and laid on 21 assists in the Bundesliga.
De Bruyne finished that campaign having directly contributed to an incredible 37 goals in all competitions, whilst his best record with City is 33 (12 goals and 21 assists), which came during his hugely impressive 2017/18 season.
The 28-year-old could well set a new total before the current campaign ends.
He’s scored 11 goals and created 19 in all competitions and so needs needs just four more to pass his previous best for the Club and, with a minimum of nine games still to play, it is looking increasingly likely.
Of course, De Bruyne will be more focused on adding silverware to his collection than setting personal records, but it will not have escaped him that he has the chance to etch his name into the history books.
Thierry Henry registered the highest number of assists in a single Premier League season, when he hit 20 in 2002/03.
Five more would see De Bruyne break that record to truly establish himself as the competition’s assist king.
