Kevin De Bruyne's farewell match in the Etihad Stadium was abruptly demolished when the Belgian was situated by Man City boss Pep Guardiola after teammate Mateo Kovacic was sent against Bournemouth.
De Bruyne has scored 108 goals and won 19 trophies, including the Champions League, with City, but will leave the club at the end of the season as soon as his contract ends.
The 33-year-old got the captain's bracelet on his last home performance after having spent a decade in Manchester and fans sang the name of one of their biggest players ever when he led the team out for Tuesday's Premier League match.
And although his team was 3-1 winners on Bournemouth, it was not entirely the perfect farewell to which De Bruyne would have hoped.
First the Belgian crashed the ball against the bar with a left foot strike from the six-year-box after Omar Marmoush led him over the box in the first half.
City fans were left in bewildered silence, while Guardiola hit his hands in unbeliever in his head. Cameras showed De Bruyne's family who looked surprised when his miss was played on the large screens.
And perfectionist De Bruyne could not hide his frustration about a missed opportunity when he was interviewed after the game.
“It was [a} terrible, terrible, terrible [miss]. There are no apologies. My son will be very tough today, “said De Bruyne, who was accompanied by his family after the game for a tribute to his career.
Nevertheless, the Etihad -believers, greeted the missed opportunity by applauding their hero and it seemed that De Bruyne still had enough time to add a finishing touch to his career in the stadium.
That hope was crushed in the 67th minute when Kovacic was sent because he had taken Evanilson as the last man.
Guardiola could not afford to be sentimental with Man City, only 2-0 up and the qualification of the Champions League on the line. And so the Spanish coach called De Bruyne to be replaced by Nico Gonzalez to the disappointment of the home crowd.
And so, with waves to the crowd, hugs for his teammates and songs of the crowd, the Etihad career of De Bruyne came to an end.
Strikes by Omar Marmoush, Bernardo Silva and Gonzalez saw the city climbing to third in the Premier League table.