Kevin De Bruyne lost his cool with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola after being substituted against Liverpool on Sunday. The talismanic Belgian was hauled off with City under the cosh approaching the final 20 minutes, and he proceeded to give his manager a frosty reception in full view of Anfield.
De Bruyne is widely considered to be City’s most influential player. His impact was telling in the first half as he whipped in a pre-reheared low corner for John Stones to put the visitors in front.
Liverpool began turning the screw in the second half, and the pressure only ramped up on City after Alexis Mac Allister equalised from the spot. With the contest at a vital moment, Guardiola turned to his bench, introducing Jeremy Doku and Mateo Kovacic at the expense of Julian Alvarez and De Bruyne.
Visibly frustrated as he trudged off the pitch, De Bruyne slapped hands with Guardiola before sparking a fiery exchange. The City midfielder continued gesticulating in anger before finally taking his seat on the substitutes’ bench.
“Well that tells you all you need to know about how Liverpool are controlling this game,” co-commentator Gary Neville said on Sky Sports. “He’s having a little whinge at Pep Guardiola, well actually it’s a big whinge!
“He’s still going, look. This ground does something to them, we know how good City are, they’re one of the best teams in the world but Anfield never goes well for them and it hasn’t in this second half.”
Around 10 minutes later, Guardiola was seen in the seat next to De Bruyne on the sidelines, seemingly explaining to the 32-year-old why he decided to make the change in a match which promised huge ramifications for the Premier League title race.
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