Kevin De Bruyne believes Liverpool will push Premier League champions Manchester City all the way in this season’s title race, though the star midfielder is not worried about the Reds yet.

Liverpool returned to the summit thanks to Sunday’s 3-1 win over bitter rivals Manchester United at Anfield.

Xherdan Shaqiri’s second-half brace moved Liverpool one point ahead of City and De Bruyne said Pep Guardiola’s men are braced for a fight.

‘I don’t know why they can’t sustain it [a title charge],’ City star De Bruyne said. ‘I think they will go on to the end.

‘To be fair I’m not too worried about them – they will do what they do and we’ll have to try to win our games and go forward.

‘They’ll try to keep pace with us and vice versa. But it’s still early. There’s no pressure. We need to do what we do.’

Liverpool are the only undefeated team remaining in the Premier League this season after City were beaten by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge earlier this month.

De Bruyne, who made his return from a knee injury as a substitute in City’s 3-1 victory at home to Everton on Saturday, added: ‘You know how it goes – you can have a week where you lose three games and everyone speaks differently.

‘There is still so long to go. The amount of games can trip you up, injuries can trip you up.’