MANCHESTER CITY gave Kevin De Bruyne a send off to remember as they beat Bournemouth 2-0 and took a step closer to securing Champions League football.

De Bruyne waved goodbye to the Etihad faithful for the final time as a Man City player as he was substituted in the 69th minute of the match.

Kevin De Bruyne waving to the crowd.Kevin De Bruyne waved goodbye to the Man City fans at Etihad StadiumOmar Marmoush of Manchester City celebrating a goal.Omar Marmoush opened the scoring with a stunning long-range effort

Omar Marmoush got the party started for the hosts with a spectacular long-range effort that found the top corner.

While De Bruyne almost managed to double the lead himself, if not for perhaps his worst miss in a Man City shirt – clattering the crossbar from inside the six-yard box faced with an open goal.

It didn’t matter though, as Bernardo Silva slotted home a second before the half-time whistle and all-but guaranteed three points for City.

Things looked like they could be a bit harder in the second half when Mateo Kovacic was sent off for pulling back Evanilson on a counter-attack in the 67th minute.

But Lewis Cook made sure to even the playing field by seeing red himself just six minuted later for a dangerous tackle on Nico Gonzalez.

In the dying minutes Nico added a third for City with a guided finish to beat Kepa Arrizabalaga.

However, Bournemouth were able to grab one for themselves too as Daniel Jebbison got the better of Ederson with a few seconds on the clock.

City are now in pole position for a Champions League spot next season, but will still need to get a result when they visit Fulham on Sunday to prevent a surprising fall outside the top five.

Omar Marmoush scoring a goal for Manchester City.Marmoush scored from distance to open the scoringKevin De Bruyne of Manchester City shoots at the goal during a Premier League match.De Bruyne hit the crossbar inside the six-yard box to miss a golden opportunity for the perfect goodbyeBernardo Silva celebrating a goal for Manchester City.Bernardo Silva doubled City’s leadReferee showing a red card to a Manchester City player.Mateo Kovacic was sent off for a pull-back on EvanilsonA soccer player from Manchester City fouls an AFC Bournemouth player, resulting in a red card.Lewis Cook saw red for a dangerous tackle on Nico Gonzalez

MORE TO FOLLOW...

THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..