Kevin De Bruyne was fuming with Pep Guardiola after Man City boss’ surprise decision vs Liverpool

‏Kevin De Bruyne was fuming with Pep Guardiola after the Manchester City manager’s surprise decision against Liverpool.

Liverpool and City clashed at Anfield on Sunday in a match that could have huge implications in the Premier League title race.

City took a first half lead through the unlikely source of John Stones.

After Kevin De Bruyne’s corner, the defender stabbed home at the near post. It was a practiced move that saw Nathan Ake obstruct Alexis Mac Allister, a midfielder for Liverpool.

However, City’s lead was short lived—Mac Allister scored from the penalty spot in the second half, following City goalkeeper Ederson’s tripping of Darwin Nunez.

The first 20 minutes of the game saw City at their best, but Pep Guardiola’s team’s poise and control began to falter.

With little more than 20 minutes remaining, Guardiola made a bold move because City appeared weak for significant portions of the second half.

Similar to several other City players, Kevin De Bruyne was not contributing much in the second half and continued to give up possession whenever City was able to get it back.

Mateo Kovacic replaced him after Guardiola made the decision, and it’s safe to say that the Belgian player was not pleased with that decision.

As he departed the pitch, De Bruyne voiced his displeasure to his boss. Before sitting on the bench, he spoke with assistant coach Juanma Lillo.

Guardiola spoke with his standout midfield player a few minutes later, but it was still evident that the 32-year-old was still irritated at being substituted.

Fans of City were split on X on Guardiola’s choice.

One fan bemoaned, “Nice one took off our best player,” while another questioned, “Why did he sub him off though?”

Other understood the unusual move, like the fan who argued, “De Bruyne played awful so he had to go.