Kevin De Bruyne says Manchester City’s second half against Arsenal was crucial to their three points at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.

De Bruyne had given City the lead, which was questionable against the run of play, with Aaron Ramsdale striking, but Bukayo Saka equalized from the penalty spot to send the teams level at the break. Pep Guardiola described City’s first-half approach as “ugly” and said he had changed his tactics before Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland wrapped up a vital victory.

Explaining exactly what the changes were, De Bruyne said that there was a tactical and tactical approach that allowed the country’s ability to make a difference in a game with narrow boundaries. READ: Pep Guardiola’s reaction to Bernardo Silva signing gives Man City unexpected transfer solution

“I think we need [his goal] because I don’t think we played well in the first half. I think we did in the second half and it was an important situation for us,” he said. De Bruyne said. “What I remember is that the second half was better. We reacted well, there was a lot of aggression and goals in our game. I think the third goal proved that. When I gave him Erling I thought it was a difficult situation for him but he did it. He feels like he has it easy at times. He did the job

“Arsenal are special, they play good football and it’s difficult to play against them. They have such energy, guys, they do what they have to do. For me their first half was better and our second half was better. At the right time, we have that attitude where it matters. ”

Convinced of City’s changes at the break, De Bruyne said City were aggressively chasing wins instead of allowing Arsenal to keep playing.

He said: “We are more aggressive. I think in the first half we gave up too many chances on the ball and especially the defense we couldn’t get close to it. I think in the second half we did that and they couldn’t get that. I don’t think they created much else. It’s just, in general, better than our side. “We went man-to-man like they did to us. I don’t think it was an easy game to watch because there were a lot of mistakes made when both teams defended that way. I think we found a situation where we hurt them.