The former England international, who has 42 caps, had played less than 15 minutes of competitive football since he last completed 90 minutes exactly three years ago on September 21 2008.
He scored with a superb shot from 22 metres after 17 minutes and was also impressive linking the play and giving City the edge.
"The last three years have been a learning curve for me," he told Sky Sports.
"I could never have anticipated myself being in that position which was trying to make the most of a difficult situation.
"There was a lot of frustration but I met a lot of wonderful people along the way that I would probably have never met, so I can't say it was all bad."
His new manager Roberto Mancini praised him, telling Sky: "I am happy for Owen because he played well without any problem. He scored a fantastic goal and I hope he can be lucky and stay fit for us in the future."
