Manchester City snapped a seven-game winless streak as Kevin De Bruyne played a starring role in a 3-0 Premier League win over Nottingham Forest on Wednesday.
The Belgian created Bernardo Silva’s opening goal and then scored the second before Jeremy Doku rounded off a much-needed victory for the English champions.
City’s barren run included six defeats to leave them 11 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool before kick-off.
However, De Bruyne’s return to the starting line-up for the first time in nearly three months helped resume normal service at the Etihad Stadium.
City move back into the top four and within nine points of Liverpool after their 3-3 draw at Newcastle.
Pep Guardiola had to shoot down suggestions of a rift with De Bruyne on the eve of the game after bedding him back into action slowly with a series of substitute appearances.
The 33-year-old showed what City have been missing as he rolled back the years and could well have had more than just one goal.
Guardiola reacted to Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Liverpool by making four changes as Josko Gvardiol, Doku and Jack Grealish also came into the team.
It took just eight minutes for City to make the breakthrough.
Ilkay Gundogan’s cross was headed back towards goal by De Bruyne and Silva was in the right place to tap home from centimetres out.
Guardiola claimed pre-match that Ederson remains his number one goalkeeper but the Brazilian was again benched in favour of Stefan Ortega.
The German made a big save to deny Morgan Gibbs-White before Forest missed a glorious chance to put the Etihad crowd back on edge.
Chris Wood’s fine goalscoring form has been the catalyst to a fabulous season so far for Nuno Espirito Santo’s men.
But the New Zealander was wayward as he fired wide with just Ortega to beat.
De Bruyne settled City nerves on 31 minutes when he collected Doku’s pass inside the area and coolly slotted into the top corner.
Erling Haaland has now failed to find the net in his last three Premier League games.
But the Norwegian did play a part in the third goal with the assist for Doku, who cut inside and fired into the far corner.
De Bruyne saw a free-kick curl just wide and was then denied a second by his international team-mate Matz Sels.
He was given a standing ovation when he departed 15 minutes from time.
City spectacularly collapsed from 3-0 up to draw 3-3 against Feyenoord in the Champions League eight days ago.
However, there was never any sense of a repeat as they controlled the closing stages to add a clean sheet to an all-round restorative night for Guardiola’s men.
Defeat leaves Forest still in sixth but now four points off the top four.