Kevin de Bruyne broke down for Manchester City in their hard fought win over Bournemouth.

De Bruyne has been beset by injury problems this season and concerns would have been heightened when he pulled up shortly before half-time under no pressure.

His replacement Riyad Mahrez proved City's saviour on the south coast as they moved two points clear of Liverpool ahead of Sunday afternoon's Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.

Mahrez collected the ball on the right side of the area in the 55th minute before slicing a low drive beyond Bournemouth goalkeepeer Artur Boruc, who arguably should have done better at his near post.

“Kevin may be out for a while," said City boss Pep Guardiola. “It is his hamstring. When we play 25 games in 93 days, it is hard and becomes a physical issue.

“We don't give players time to recover. John's is not a big problem – more of a precaution.

“We play a game, then after, when they are not recovered, we play another game.

“There is only a short amount of time and it is very demanding."