Manchester City took time to adjust to Manchester United's new tactical set-up, Kevin De Bruyne says, but took their chances and sent a message to Liverpool in a dominant derby display.
United were missing key men like Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane and Luke Shaw, while Ralf Rangnick opted to start Marcus Rashford on the bench in a striker-less formation.
In an end-to-end opening, Kevin De Bruyne scored a brace either side of Jadon Sancho's well-taken finish, but City were utterly dominant after the break and two Riyad Mahrez goals sealed the win against a toothless second half United display. And man-of-the-match De Bruyne said City were not expecting United to set up as they did and only led at the break due to clinical finishing.
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He said: " I think United played very differently than other occasions, they tried to press us and they played well in the first half. In the second half we found more opportunities. We did really well.
"I think the chances came from that left side, when they arrived at the by-line, I had to be in the box. The first chance is an easy one, the second one I’m just in the right position. It’s just about being in the right place."
"I can't explain why we always win there and have more difficulties at home. Today we proved we're a good team, played really well and deserved to win."
De Bruyne also had a message for Liverpool, with City's win restoring their six-point lead in the Premier League having played a game more than Jurgen Klopp's side.
"It's winning game by game, they put the pressure on by winning their game. We responded in the right way," he said.
"We always play the game we need to, we don't always get the result but we play our football, fight for it, and that's what we'll do until the end of the season."
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