A busy night across the Premier League as teams are battling it out towards the end of the season.
At the Etihad it was Manchester City, who looked to reclaim the top spot, facing Cardiff who travelled to challenge the reigning champions would have hoped they could do enough to steer clear of relegation.
City immediately put a dampener on those hopes after De Bruyne scored within six minutes. He charged down the left flank and released a shot from an outrageous angle. It somehow ended up in the back of the net and Etheridge will have wondered how it was physcially possible.
Cardiff really struggled to gain a foothold in proceedings as City enjoyed free reign across the pitch. The momentum was halted slightly as Kyle Walker was required to replace an injured Zinchenko.
While City dominated proceedings for the majority of the first-half, Cardiff did find themselves with brief bursts of possession. The only problem is that City's defence were just as sublime as their attack and it was no contest.
That is no exaggeration as Cardiff played out the majority of the first-half without a single shot on target, so it really was no contest.
As well as struggling for opportunities in front of goal, Cardiff failed to register 80 completed passes in the first-half while City were getting creative with theirs.
Gabriel Jesus chested down a cross into the path of Leroy Sane who gathered composure and treated us to an absolutely smashing goal. Smashing in the sense that it completely immobilised the defence who could only watch as it sailed past an outstretched Etheridge.
Cardiff will have been counting down the seconds for half-time, and luckily for them it was just seconds before the teams headed down the tunnel for the break. Neil Warnock and his side would have to come out with something special for the second-half to stop City from taking the top spot in the Premier League.
Pep Guardiola and his men, on the other hand, looked hungrier than ever and were taking advantage of the opportunity to flex their muscles in front of a home crowd in full voice.
The second-half got underway and Guardiola was immediately encouraging his team to resume their first-half pressure against a dishevelled Cardiff side.
So they did, with Phil Foden and Gabriel Jesus who worked the ball brilliantly between them inside the box. Cardiff had plenty back in defence so the City forwards were smothered and the ball was cleared.
Foden was determined however, and was back in front of goal just seconds later. His effort was strong but Etheridge had read it well and spread himself wide to block the shot. City were relentless and Cardiff began to panic.
Panic converted into desperate challenges which earned a few players yellow cards after they thought the best solution was to physcially prevent City players from getting to the ball. Joe Ralls was one of them who, having earned himself a Premier League start, was booked for dragging Kevin de Bruyne back as he attempted to chase Kyle Walker's chip. Had the Belgian been through on goal, Ralls might have been staring down the barrel of a red.
Cardiff had their keeper, Neil Etheridge, to thank for saving his side from total and utter embarrassment. His impeccable ability to read each shot and get behind it was just as impressive as City's ability to tear Cardiff's defence apart.
It won't have been hard to predict what might have been going through the Cardiff keeper's mind - 'when will my defence start pulling their weight?'
City were becoming increasingly frustrated as Etheridge stepped up his game. They continued to create the same number of chances but fewer looked likely to end up in the back of the net as the Cardiff keeper began to embarrass his defence.
The frustration was encapsulated by Gabriel Jesus' stupid decision to attempt a reverse foot flick to finish Foden's cross. It went wide and he slammed the ball down, wondering how he hadn't scored. A more simple side foot might have made it 3-0 for City but, much to the fans' exasperation, the elusive third goal was yet to be scored.
Ederson had one opportunity to remind fans that he was still present on the pitch as Niasse advanced on goal to take a shot. The keeper was quick off his line, perhaps surprising given that he will have been half asleep for the majority of the match, and made a simple block.
A bit off dawdling in midfield from Cardiff brought the game to a close and City fans will have wondered how their team didn't manage to utterly tear Cardiff apart on the scoresheet.
Manchester City return to the top of the table with a game in hand over challengers Liverpool. While, Cardiff City find themselves five points from safety behind Burnley.