Pep Guardiola said Manchester City showed the heart of champions to fight back to beat Newcastle 3-2 on Saturday thanks to a Kevin De Bruyne masterclass on his return to Premier League action.
The Belgian came off the bench to score and set up Oscar Bobb's stoppage-time winner to announce his comeback from a five-month injury layoff in style.
Victory takes City up to second in the table, two points behind Liverpool, and ominously poised to strike when they return from a two-week winter break, by which point Erling Haaland may be fit to join De Bruyne in terrorising opposition defences. "That was really good, sometimes it is better winning that way," said Guardiola. "We played with a huge personality.
They showed me they want to be there, to fight until the end that they want to retain the title." A cruel late twist for Newcastle saw Eddie Howe's men succumb to a sixth defeat in their last seven Premier League games.