On 15 August 2018, De Bruyne suffered a knee injury during a training session, with several news websites reporting that he could potentially not play for up to three months. Two days later, Manchester City confirmed that he had suffered a lesion of the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee, with no surgery required, and that he was expected to not play for three months. Soon after De Bruyne returned to action in October 2018, he once again suffered a knee ligament injury in the fourth round of the EFL Cup against Fulham. The injury was expected to keep him out for 5–6 weeks but he resumed full training much earlier than expected after only 3 weeks out. He came on as substitute in the FA Cup final against Watford, scoring the third goal and assisting two more, as City won the first-ever domestic treble in English men's football. His performances meant he was named "Man of the Match".