"It was more willpower than sharpness" - Kevin de Bruyne reacts after match-winning cameo for Man City against Newcastle 

Kevin de Bruyne was pleased with his match-winning display in Manchester City's 3-2 Premier League win against Newcastle United on Saturday (13 January).

City took the lead in the 26th minute after a nifty backheel finish from Bernardo Silva from a Kyle Walker cross. But De Bruyne could only watch from the bench as the Magpies struck twice in as many minutes to take a 2-1 lead by the 37th minute.

With the game entering its final quarter, Pep Guardiola brought De Bruyne off the bench in place of Silva in the 69th minute. The Belgian, playing in the league for the first time since the opening gameweek, scored the equalizer within four minutes of coming on with a well-placed long-range finish.

De Bruyne then picked out Oscar Bobb inside the box with a sublime long ball in the first minute of stoppage time. The 20-year-old Norwegian made no mistake with the finish, showing some nifty footwork to evade Martin Dubravka and score the winner.

After the game, De Bruyne reflected on his performance and told TNT Sports (h/t PlanetSport):

"I've missed this. I had a big injury [hamstring] and I needed the time off but I worked hard. To come here, to this stadium, in this environment – I think it was more willpower than sharpness.

"I know I'm not able to do that for 90 minutes at the moment but I can put in a shift for 20-25 at full pace. I can feel it in my lungs with the cold, but it can't be any better than this can it?"

The win against Newcastle at St. James' Park put Pep Guardiola's men in second position in the table with 43 points from 20 matches.

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Manchester City going for the league title, says Pep Guardiola after Newcastle win

Pep Guardiola said his team were well and truly in the Premier League title race alongside Liverpool after his team's win against Newcastle United.

The Cityzens are no strangers to winning the league title under Guardiola. They have won the first-division crown five times in the last six seasons, with two of those wins coming by a one-point margin. Last season, they won the league by five points despite Arsenal leading the table for a record 248 days.

Talking up his team's title chances after the win against the Toons, Guardiola said (h/t ESPN):

"The team is alive. Why should we not try it again? We won three [titles] in a row, five in the last six, so why not? It's really important because Liverpool are flying over the last month and we have to go to Anfield so it's better to be close to them."

After gameweek 20, Liverpool lead the league table with 45 points to their name.