The Belgian scored one and made another in a typically productive display against Wolves.
He admitted it was tough, but felt the team showed steel when it was most needed with City leaving Molineux with a hard-fought 3-1 win.
“I think we played really well,” said De Bruyne. “With just two weeks training, it was always going to be hard.
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“But we kept it tight and I think we did really well and we know you have to start well.
“Wolves have been a bogey team for us, so to come here and do this performance is good. We were missing some players. We will go game by game; Thursday (in the Carabao Cup) is another one.
“If the title pace is same as the last few years it’ll be hard. We want to fight with Liverpool. That’s what sport is all about.”
The PFA Player of the Year admitted it was strange to not have David Silva alongside him but says there is so much quality in the squad that everyone has something different to offer.
“Whoever plays in place of David will do their thing,” the Belgian added.
“Everyone has to play with their own quality. David is the master of tight spaces, but in Phil, Bernardo, Riyad and Raheem, we have players who can do the job. But obviously he is a big miss.
“We have so many attacking players, I can slot them in and they can do the rest depending on the formation of our opponents.”
And asked whether he could emulate last season’s assist tally and go one better this year, he added: “To be honest I don’t know. It’s hard. I would prefer to have five goals and five assists and go away with the title.
“These days a lot is about statistics, but I try and do my best for team.
“If you have good numbers, it helps the team. But even if I play badly, I have to try and contribute one way or another and that’s’ what I try to so.”
