After watching his playmaker convert a 3-2 victory against Newcastle into a possible defeat, Pep Guardiola greeted Kevin De Bruyne’s return to Premier League action and hinted that the Belgian may swing the title race Manchester City’s way.
Midway through the second half, with City behind 2-1 at St James’ Park, De Bruyne came off the bench to quickly equalize before setting up Oscar Bobb’s winner in stoppage time.
“Kevin is a legend,” said Guardiola, whose second-placed side are now only two points behind Liverpool, the leaders. “He is loved by our people and, hopefully, in the last months he can help us be there to the end.”
City have, by their lofty standards, struggled at times since De Bruyne injured a hamstring in August, necessitating surgery. “We need players like Kevin,” said Guardiola, who will be without his key striker, Erling Haaland, until next month. “We need him to do something special in the final third. That is not tactical ability but talent, individual talent.’
“I think everybody agrees we made a really good performance today against such a physical team in Newcastle. They made good transitions and, after taking the lead [through Bernardo Silva], we conceded two goals but after that talent made the difference. At half‑time I told the players: ‘You are amazing, stick together and we will do it.’
“It was really important to win because Liverpool are flying and we have to go to Anfield so it’s better to be close the them.”
It left Eddie Howe frustrated and his injury-hit side stuck in 10th after a run of six defeats in seven league games. “We have so much promise, so much good about us but to be sat here with nothing is very painful for the players,” said Newcastle’s manager after seeing Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon score fine goals. “The first half was everything we wanted to be. We want to be front-foot but, in the second half, we couldn’t manage that.”
The fact that De Bruyne’s introduction coincided with Newcastle’s growing weariness did not assist. Howe stated, “We wanted him to be rusty, and he wasn’t.” “We wanted to give him as little space as possible, and we handled it really well for the most of the time he was on.” We believed we were almost there with three minutes remaining to look out.
The manager of Newcastle justified his seeming unwillingness to bring on replacements. “I’ve always believed that we are a strong squad that can defeat any opponent when we play at our best, but December was a really tough month due to injuries, so we’re not playing with our entire arsenal right now. Our options are limited because we lost players from our attack and midfield positions. It is viewed as a negative substitute if I bring in a defenseman.
“Fighting is all the team can do, they have to show fight in every match. They’re representing an incredible club and city. When we’re at full strength we’re incredibly talented. This is a difficult moment but we’re still a very good team. I felt we deserved a point, I couldn’t see City’s winner coming.”
More positively Howe suggested Isak can become the latest in a long line of famous Newcastle centre-forwards. “His goal was very reminiscent of Alan Shearer,” he said. “Alex can go on to achieve incredible things. He is an all round striker.”