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| Kevin De Bruyne celebrates scoring his second for Man City in the 4-1 win over Hull |
KEVIN DE BRUYNE keeps on showing just why Manchester City made him British football’s second-most expensive foreign import.
Some questioned why they pursued him so relentlessly and paid Wolfsburg £54million – only Angel Di Maria has cost more in the Premier League.
But De Bruyne took his tally to nine goals and nine assists in only 15 starts as he helped City break down Hull’s stubborn resistance and reach the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup for the fourth time in seven seasons.
The Belgium international set up Wilfried Bony for City’s first in the 12th minute after his shot had hit the inside of a post.
De Bruyne then netted two himself, as City finished off their Championship opponents with three goals in seven minutes late in the game.
Youngster Kelechi Iheahacho eased City’s growing frustrations by scoring the second in the 80th minute before De Bruyne put the gloss on the victory.
He latched on to Andrew Roberton’s misguided header to slide in the third before firing home a free-kick from the edge of the area.
Robertson bagged a consolation goal for Hull and the result was hard on Steve Bruce’s team, who had defended with great discipline.
City manager Manuel Pellegrini said: “I’m very pleased because I think it was a difficult game against a good team.
“More than that because we played the third game in less than one week and we have had a very good response from the squad with different names.
“It was important for David Silva to have 80 minutes after a long injury. It was also important for Wilfried Bony to play after a muscle injury, because he worked for just a few days before he played on Saturday and now he could play 65 minutes.
“And it was good for Kelechi, a young player, to come on and score.”
The 5,000 fans who made their way from Humberside hoping Hull could take another cup scalp must have been disappointed to see a teamsheet with seven changes from the side who started Friday’s 2-0 defeat by Derby.
But Bruce defended his decision to make so many changes.
He said: “The same squad beat Leicester and beat Swansea, so I have got to stay true to them if I am going to back my word up and say, ‘You are going to play in the cup if you don’t play in the league’.
“If we never had a reminder how cruel it was to play against the big boys, we just had one. After 80 minutes, we just had our best spell of the match; after 87 minutes, it was 4-0. It was never a 4-1.”
City made five changes, the most important being Silva’s first start for two months. And in the absence of Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure, he was made captain.
Last season when Hull visited the Etihad, City needed a last-minute penalty from James Milner to spare their blushes and salvage a 1-1 draw. But the early stages did not suggest a shock this time, with City’s early control yielding a goal after only 12 minutes. A mix-up between Ryan Taylor and Chuba Akpom saw them leave the ball to each other in midfield and City seized their chance.
Fernandinho played the ball forward to De Bruyne, whose shot beat goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic, but bounced off the inside of the post and fell conveniently into the path of Bony, who fired into the unguarded net.
Bony tested Jakupovic, while Hull threatened when Isaac Hayden’s 25-yard shot flew straight at Willy Caballero and Akpom scuffed Hull’s best chance straight at the City keeper.
The game followed the same pattern in the second half, with City pressing and probing but continuing to find Hull’s stubborn defensive resistance hard to penetrate.
Jesus Navas fired a yard wide after Bony had headed down Silva’s cross. It was Navas’s last contribution because he was replaced by Raheem Sterling. City sent on Iheanacho for Bony and he eased their anxieties with a second goal 10 minutes from time, converting Sterling’s cross from close range.
And two minutes later De Bruyne intercepted Robertson’s intended header back to his keeper to slide the ball home.
De Bruyne scored his second from a free-kick and there was just time for Robertson to give those Hull fans something to cheer with a consolation.
Man City (4-2-3-1): Caballero; Sagna, Otamendi, Mangala, Clichy; Delph, Fernandinho; Navas (Sterling 62), Silva (Demichellis 83), De Bruyne; Bony (Iheanacho 71). Booked: Mangala. Goals: Bony 12, Iheanacho 80, De Bruyne 82, 87.
Hull (3-5-2): Jakupovic; Odubajo, Bruce, Maguire; Elmohamady, Livermore, Hayden, Taylor (Diame 58), Robertson; Akpom (Hernandez 68), Aluko (Snodgrass 73). Booked: Maguire. Goal: Robertson 90.
Referee: N Swarbrick (Lancashire).
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