The Belgian star was left out of Pep Guardiola's starting XI for the win over Aston Villa in midweek, but returned to the team as captain for Saturday's lunchtime trip to Selhurst Park.
The match got off to a nightmare start for the history-chasing champions, with their hopes of an unprecedented fourth successive English top-flight title taking a blow when Jean-Philippe Mateta gave Palace a shock lead after only three minutes.
However, the home side's advantage lasted just 10 minutes before De Bruyne restored parity in emphatic fashion, collecting Jack Grealish's pass from the left before cutting inside and whipping an unstoppable strike into the top corner.
Man City went into Saturday's match sitting third in the Premier League table but knowing that victory would lift them temporarily up to at least second, and possibly even top if they win by four goals or more.
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