De Bruyne and Guardiola react after Man City win over Chelsea: ‘We did what we had to do.’

Man City 1-0 Chelsea

De Bruyne scored the only goal that decided the Premier League match between Man City and Chelsea (Image: Jack Grealish /Twitter)

De Bruyne's curling strike lifts Manchester City 13 points clear of Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea side.

Kevin de Bruyne was delighted that Manchester City got the job done over Chelsea and was pleased his goal helped move his side 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League table. The Belgium midfield maestro scored his sixth league goal of the 2021-22 campaign in the 70th minute at Etihad Stadium.

And this was after goalkeeper Arrizabalaga prevented Jack Grealish from giving City a deserved lead late in the first half. The visitors had a few chances, with Romelu Lukaku going close, but in the end Pep Guardiola’s boys ensured they registered their seventh successive win in all competitions.

Following the narrow victory, City goalscorer De Bruyne told BT Sport: "It was a big game and they came here with a good plan, they were tight defensively but we played a good game. It's nice to score, it was important as it was the only one. We knew if we won we would make the gap bigger. "We have been in this situation before, things can change and momentum can change. The team was focused on what we could do today. "I got away from N'Golo Kante at the right time, I was looking at the space and they were dropping off, I found the angle and it worked perfectly. "It’s always difficult against them they are tight defensively, know what they are doing and you have to be patient. We played the game we needed to play and did what we had to do. "They can be very dangerous, it was a very hard game, people on both sides coming back from Covid and not much training." Asked if it’s City's title to lose, he replied: "They (Chelsea) need to be almost perfect, there is another team dangling there, so we need to keep momentum and win each game by game."

Pep: ‘I want even more from De Bruyne’

Guardiola was pleased with the outcome of the game and insisted he wants more from De Bruyne after heaping praise on the 30-year-old. ‘(We) Absolutely deserved it,’ Guardiola said. ‘The way we played, everything we have done, we cannot forget who we played, they are Euro champions, and how incredible a side they are. They defended well, they waited for transition to punish us and we won from one transition. ‘The only problem we had was after we went 1-0, they stepped up, they ended with Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Timo Werner, Romelu Lukaku all on the pitch, but the team was brilliant. ‘When quizzed about his thoughts on how good De Bruyne was in the game, he said: ‘We have won what we have done together, and now I want to push him more, he is a world-class player, he has humility, is humble. He has won three Premier Leagues and a lot of prizes, but I want more because I know he can do it. He has everything, he missed a bit of confidence this season, he struggled a bit but he knows what he can do. His mum and dad have to be so proud of him. ‘Twelve victories in a row is incredible, so we must keep going. If Liverpool win their games in hand it is eight points, so my job is to take out of the heads of the players what people will say. We are more than pleased but there is a lot of a job to do.’

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