Tottenham vs. Manchester City: Mauricio Pochettino, Pep Guardiola React to Match

Pep Guardiola suffered his first defeat as Manchester City manager on Sunday as Tottenham Hotspur ran rampant at White Hart Lane en route to a thoroughly convincing 2-0 win.

Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino executed a tactical masterclass in overseeing such a strong victory against fierce opposition, and the Argentinian was pleased with his side's mental fortitude, per ESPN's Miguel Delaney:

Former Espanyol boss Pochettino met ex-Barcelona boss Guardiola quite frequently during their days in La Liga, but this was the South American's day in every regard as Spurs sauntered to three points.

Speaking to the media after the display, Pochettino was eager to enthuse just what a morale-boosting performance this was against the current Premier League leaders, per BBC Sport:

"

It was a great, great victory for us against this opposition. I am very happy. Sometimes when you have a plan, it is good, sometimes less so, but Manchester City are a great team. It is difficult to play against them. We need to follow this after the international match and we have more tough games after the international break.

"

Aleksandar Kolarov scored an own goal in the ninth minute to hand Tottenham their breakthrough, and Dele Alli added a second not long before the half-time interval to complete Spurs' scoring.

However, Pochettino clearly doesn't want his club's fans getting overexcited just yet, noting there's a long season ahead for his side, per Spurs' official Twitter account:

Guardiola also addressed the media after City's first defeat under his tenure, and the Spaniard didn't argue his team weren't deserving of the loss, per BBC Sport:

"

They were better. We were not in the right positions so congratulations to them.

The first goal is quite similar to the one we conceded in Glasgow, it is always difficult to recover. We played much better in the last 15 or 20 minutes. We knew they would press us high, we wanted that but they did it better.

[Losing] It is part of the game, part of our job. I never thought that we would not lose a game, you can't imagine that. It is normal to the process, sometimes it happens and it can help us improve.

"

The Citizens have now gone two results in a row without tasting victory, having drawn 3-3 at Celtic in the UEFA Champions League last Wednesday before Sunday's outing.

While Sunday's result may have disappointed, Guardiola was also quick to highlight the fact there's still plenty of time for City to re-establish their grip on the English top flight:

"

I am not here for the talk around me, I am here to do my job. It is October, you cannot imagine my team is already done. I am new here. So far it has been an amazing performance but we need more, we have to work more, it is what it is.

At the end of the season you can win and still realise that you are not perfect.

"

The Citizens now have a fortnight to wait until they resume their Premier League campaign at home to a tough-looking Everton side. This is when Guardiola will truly discover the strength of his squad.

Spurs, meanwhile, head into the international break just a point off the Premier League summit, knowing a consistent string of performances like this will put them right in the frame for another title challenge.