Jack Grealish felt Arsenal were "a lot better" than Manchester City despite the champions running out 3-1 winners at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
Goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Grealish and Erling Haaland, were enough to earn City a vital three points in the Premier League title race despite Bukayo Saka scoring from the spot for the hosts.
The victory leapfrogs City above Arsenal on goal difference as they chase a fifth title in six seasons, although Mikel Arteta's men do have a game in hand.
Grealish feels City were fortunate to beat the Gunners, who held 63.6 per cent of the possession and had 10 shots to the visitors' nine.
"If I'm being honest, I don't think we actually played that well," Grealish told Amazon Prime after his fifth goal involvement in nine Premier League matches since returning from the World Cup.
"I think Arsenal played a lot better than us. I thought they were the better team, I think so."
Grealish won the Premier League title last season in his first campaign with City after they made him the most expensive English player of all time by activating his £100million release clause at Aston Villa.
The 27-year-old believes City showed the mentality of champions against Arsenal, saying: "If you win titles, you've got to come to grounds like this.
"Even when you're not at your best, you've got to win games."
Grealish scored in the 2-1 derby defeat to Manchester United last month and added another goal in a big game against Arsenal on Wednesday.
The winger says scoring in important matches is exactly what he had in mind when he made the move to City, explaining: "Honestly, it was massive. For me, it was a great night.
"That's what I’ve wanted to do. I feel like I've been playing well. I want to come and affect these big games.
"To score tonight was so important, honestly, I was absolutely buzzing, for myself and the team. I thank the manager really, he's letting me play a lot and with freedom."
Grealish had a potential red card on his mind as he celebrated after his 72nd-minute strike, having already been booked earlier in the game for dissent.
"I know [Ilkay] Gundo[gan] and I knew he was going to pass it. He's so unselfish, I just knew he was going to pass," Grealish recalled.
"As it was coming, it felt like 10 seconds. I was going to try and reverse it, but I know [Aaron] Ramsdale from our time at England.
"When I was celebrating, I was going to take my top off, but I was on a yellow card already!"
Postecoglou thinks Spurs can end Guardiola's Premier League dominance
Ange Postecoglou relishes the opportunity to challenge Pep Guardiola’s Premier League dominance after he signed a contract extension with Manchester City.
It was announced by City on Thursday that Guardiola will stay at the club until 2027 after agreeing a new two-year deal, taking his time at the Etihad to over a decade.
Under Guardiola (since 2016-17), City have lost more Premier League games (six) and conceded more goals (22) against Spurs than they have against any other opponent in the top-flight.
It is perhaps unsurprising then that, despite the City boss having lifted the Premier League trophy in six of the last seven seasons, Postecoglou was happy his competitor was remaining at the helm.
"I look at it the other way, imagine you knock him off? That would be something, eh?,"Postecoglou began.
"And I'm at the stage of my life where I'd rather have a chance of knocking him off than missing that opportunity. In the right way, obviously.
"I think when greatness is around, you want to be around it. Hopefully it challenges you to be like that as well.”
Postecoglou is preparing to travel to face City in the league on Saturday during Guardiola’s worst run of form of his career.
City have lost each of their last four matches in all competitions. The Citizens last lost more consecutively between March and April 2006 under Stuart Pearce (six – the fifth game of which was also against Tottenham).
It could present the perfect opportunity for the Australian boss to start his ascent on Guardiola’s dominance, though he will have to face demons of his own as his side have won just two of their last 11 Premier League away games (D2 L7).
"I love the fact that there is a massive target out there that can seem insurmountable. It does for me anyway, raises my level, gets me going,” he added.
"I love the challenge of that and I never see that as a bad thing."
Man United could be without Toone until new year, says Skinner
Marc Skinner revealed that Manchester United could be without midfielder Ella Toone until the new year after she picked up a calf injury in training.
Toone has featured in five games in the Women's Super League this season, but is yet to register a goal or an assist so far this term.
The 25-year-old has missed United's last two games and was not selected in Sarina Wiegman's England squad for their upcoming friendlies against the United States and Switzerland.
She had previously appeared in a staggering 96 straight matches before missing United's WSL showdown with Leicester City last weekend.
But ahead of the Red Devils' meeting with league leaders Chelsea on Sunday, Skinner confirmed they would be without Toone for not only that game, but for the foreseeable future.
"We have three games [after the international break and before Christmas]. There's always the hope, but I think you balance and you go, 'right, if we can get her back, we get her back'," Skinner said.
"But we're just not going to rush her in this moment because it's a calf injury, it's your running mechanism. If we injure the running mechanism, it takes longer.
"So ideally we'd like her back for those games afterwards.
"The projection is she misses this game [Chelsea], she misses the international window, probably misses the first game after that, and then we'll see from there.
"But because it is such a short block of only three games, we'll assess whether it's worth that or actually resetting to come back after Christmas."
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