Kevin de Bruyne says Manchester City know the hard work they have to put in after they came from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 and leapfrog them into third place in the Premier League.

Liverpool’s late win at Crystal Palace earlier on Saturday meant City started 12 points behind the leaders and looked in danger of failing to cut that gap when N’Golo Kante gave Chelsea a deserved lead midway through the first half.

However, De Bruyne’s deflected strike breathed new life into Pep Guardiola’s men and a trademark left-footed finish from Riyad Mahrez saw City edge a thrilling encounter.

Advertisement

“We had a couple of chances at the beginning and didn’t hit the target,” De Bruyne told Sky Sports.

“They scored but then we reacted with two quick goals. In the second half we kept it tight – they might have had more of the ball but we created the better chances.

“We don’t care what happens to other teams – Liverpool, Leicester, Chelsea – we have to keep running. We know after the last two years the hard work we have to put in.”

Mahrez said: “It was a difficult game but we reacted very well after we conceded the first goal. This type of game it’s most important to get three points. We’re not going to play very good all the time.”