Kevin De Bruyne says Liverpool will push Manchester City all the way in this season's title race

Liverpool returned to the top of the table on Sunday, one point ahead of defending champions City

Kevin De Bruyne believes this year's title race will go the distance (Getty)

Kevin De Bruyne expects Liverpool to push Manchester City all the way in this year’s Premier League title race, though is not worrying about the challenge from Jürgen Klopp’s side just yet.

Liverpool returned to the top of the table on Sunday, one point ahead of defending champions City, following their 3-1 victory over Manchester United at Anfield.

City had spent Saturday night at the summit after their 3-1 victory over Everton, but could now find themselves four points back by the weekend if Liverpool beat Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday night.

The two sides will meet each other at the Etihad on 3 January, having drawn 0-0 at Anfield earlier in the campaign, and the title race duly appears to be taking shape.

De Bruyne sees no reason why Liverpool will not challenge City for the remainder of the campaign, though he is not following their every result just yet.

“I don't know why they can't sustain it,” he said on Liverpool’s title challenge. “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.”

While Liverpool remain unbeaten, City suffered defeat in the league for the first time last week away to Chelsea.

That defeat at Stamford Bridge punctured City’s air of invincibility, leading some to reassess their title predictions, and De Bruyne knows that a run of poor results for either City or Liverpool over the busy Christmas period could alter the landscape.

"You know how it goes - you can have a week where you lose three games and everyone speaks differently,” he said. “There's is still so long to go. The amount of games can trip you up, injuries can trip you up."