Man City star Kevin De Bruyne reveals secret to matchwinning display vs Newcastle

Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne insisted it was willpower which helped him make the crucial impact as the Blues beat Newcastle United in the Premier League.

For much of the clash at St James' Park it seemed as though it was going to be one of those days for Pep Guardiola's team. With 20 minutes remaining, City were behind 2-1 after Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon's quickfire first-half goals overturned Bernardo Silva's opener.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man as De Bruyne's introduction turned the game in the Blues' favour. Five minutes after being introduced he scored the equaliser as he placed the ball beyond Martin Dubravka.

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And De Bruyne had the final say too, producing a moment of magic to pick out Oscar Bobb with a lofted pass which the Norwegian winger did expertly to control, dance around the goalkeeper and tap home in injury time. After the final whistle, De Bruyne told TNT Sports the secret to his star performance had nothing to do with reaching top physical fitness just yet.

"I have missed this, it is what it is," De Bruyne began. "I had a big injury and I needed the time but I enjoyed myself, worked hard and to come here, in this stadium, in this environment [and do that].To be fair it was more willpower than anything else but yeah it was crazy.

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

While many were blown away by the assist for Bobb's winner, De Bruyne reserved special praise for