Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has revealed the key tactical shift that helped his side beat Arsenal 4-1 in their recent Premier League clash.

The Gunners entered the game as league leaders, five points ahead of City, although having played two more games than Pep Guardiola’s side. But City took complete control of the match from the outset, with De Bruyne scoring two goals and providing an assist, earning him the player of the match award.

Speaking to BT Sport after the match, De Bruyne said that City had to adapt their playing style due to Arsenal’s man-to-man marking.

“When they play man-to-man we have to go a bit longer because there is no space to play short passes,” he said. “In the second half, it was 50/50, they are a very class team and hard to play against. We had to be at our best today and I think we were.”

De Bruyne also noted that City set up differently in the match, giving him more freedom to move left and right. “I had a little bit more the freedom to go left and right, who was putting pressure from them between Partey and Xhaka and trying to find space,” he explained.

The win over Arsenal puts City in a strong position to retain their Premier League title, as well as being on course for a treble, having also qualified for both the Champions League semi-final and the FA Cup final. Meanwhile, Arsenal’s title hopes now appear to have slipped away.