Kevin De Bruyne left Pep Guardiola in awe as surprise Brentford act reveals hidden Man City gift

Manchester City moved 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League table on Wednesday evening thanks to a 2-0 win against Brentford but Pep Guardiola's side had to work for it.

The Blues showed that patience really is a virtue as they repeatedly probed a resolute and compact Brentford defence but, in the end, a mistimed challenge and a mistake from the goalkeeper allowed Riyad Mahrez and Kevin De Bruyne to seal the win.

However, his side's ability to patiently find a way through well-organised opposition was not the only aspect of the performance that pleased Guardiola. One particular moment from his Belgian maestro showed everyone the quality most important in this City side.

City were 1-0 up in the 64th minute when Brentford launched a rare counter-attack. Bryan Mbeumo had just come off the bench for the visitors and was full of energy, so when he was played in behind City's centre-backs near the halfway line, it looked like he had a clear run to goal.

The way in which Guardiola's side commit so many bodies forward - particularly when trying to break down compact, low-block defences like Brentford's - and play with such a high defensive line does make them vulnerable to counter-attacks but, as De Bruyne showed, there is one non-negotiable trait in Guardiola's players that allows them to deal with such threats.

De Bruyne is known primarily for his attacking prowess and technical brilliance but at that moment, there was only one thing that he needed to do. From a position about five yards behind the breaking Mbeumo, he charged back, realising that colleague John Stones needed some assistance.

As the striker was shepherded to the left side of the penalty area by a tag-team of Stones and Ruben Dias, De Bruyne