Harry Kane remains in pole position for the 2020/21 Premier League Playmaker of the Season Award, but the race to win the honour by having the most assists is set to go to the wire.
The Tottenham Hotspur striker's tally of 13 assists is just two ahead of Bruno Fernandes and Kevin De Bruyne.
Fernandes has five matches remaining, compared with the four of Kane and De Bruyne, and the Manchester United midfielder will be confident of adding more assists.
He has set up goals against three of his remaining opponents this season: Leicester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Fulham.
If De Bruyne wishes to claim a third Playmaker Award, after winning it in 2017/18 and 2019/20, he has a good opportunity to close the gap.
Two of Manchester City's remaining four fixtures against teams in the bottom half of the table.
Playmaker contenders
| Player | Assists | Fixtures |
|---|---|---|
| Kane | 13 | LEE (A), WOL (H), AVL (H), LEI (A) |
| Fernandes | 11 | AVL (A), LEI (H), LIV (H), FUL (H), WOL (A) |
| De Bruyne | 11 | CHE (H), NEW (A), BHA (A), EVE (H) |
| Grealish | 10 | MUN (H), EVE (H), CRY (A), TOT (A), CHE (H) |
| Son | 10 | LEE (A), WOL (H), AVL (H), LEI (A) |
Jack Grealish has been hit by a leg injury that has ruled out the Aston Villa midfielder since mid-February.
The form of Kane's team-mate Son Heung-min could yet provide a twist in the tale. Son's assist in Spurs' 4-0 win over Sheffield United moved the South Korean to within three of Kane, who is aiming to become only the third player to finish a season as both top scorer and the most assists.
Only Andrew Cole with Newcastle United in 1993/94, and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who finished joint-top of both charts with Leeds United in 1998/99, have achieved this feat.
Also in this series
Part 1: Ederson and Mendy meet in battle for Golden Glove
Part 3: Salah closing on Kane in race for Golden Boot