Manchester City won two consecutive victories. De Bruyne: Our performance needs to reach a higher standard

With Savio's own goal, Haaland and Foden scoring, Manchester City defeated West Ham 4-1 in the 20th round of the 2024/25 Premier League. Manchester City midfielder De Bruyne said that this result was a small improvement, and also called on the team to pursue a higher level of performance.

In the 10th minute, Manchester City winger Savio received a pass from Bernardo Silva and sent a cross, and the ball hit West Ham defender Cao Far and then deflected into the net, giving Manchester City a 1-0 lead. In the 42nd minute, Savio made a lob pass to the penalty area, and Haaland scored a header after taking a good angle, helping Manchester City continue to lead West Ham 2-0.

In the 55th minute of the second half, Savio assisted Haaland with a through ball to expand Manchester City's lead to 3-0. Only 3 minutes later, De Bruyne took the ball and passed it to the penalty area. Foden took the ball and shot it in, making the score 4-0.

In the 71st minute, Soucek passed the ball to the middle and Ferkrug shot directly into the goal, helping West Ham to pull back 1-4. In the end, Manchester City defeated West Ham 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium.

After two consecutive wins, Manchester City is currently ranked 6th in the standings with 34 points, 2 points behind 4th-placed Chelsea, and sees hope in their fight for Champions League qualification.

De Bruyne, 33, said: "This is a small improvement. We performed well at some moments in the game and slightly worse at others. But compared to the previous match against Leicester, our performance was much better. Although we consumed a lot of energy in the final stage, there was some improvement overall."

"The team has done its best, but we need to perform at a higher level and we know that. Looking back at what we have achieved in the past 10 years, we do realize how difficult it has been. We are slightly below that level at the moment, but we know where the problem lies and we are continuing to work hard."

De Bruyne also said, "You will gradually understand how difficult it is to achieve these achievements. The outside world may think that Manchester City always wins the game easily, but in fact it is not the case. There is hard work behind it, and we are working hard to return to the previous high level. This is the only thing we can do."

"It has been a tough season for us and we have made some progress but we know we have to do better. We got these three points and we can continue to work hard on this basis."

Talking about his condition, De Bruyne said, "I am working hard to return to my best level. I feel that I am getting better every week. I have also made good progress in my physical fitness and can now play a full 90 minutes. The injury in the past few months has made me feel a little uncomfortable, but I am getting better and better, and my performance is also improving."