Jose Mourinho has raised the possibility of Manchester United being awarded the 2017-18 Premier League title after Manchester City's Uefa punishment.

City have been banned from European competition for two years and fined £25million for "serious" financial fair-play breaches, and the Premier League is said to preparing their own investigation into the champions' financial irregularities.

Mourinho's United finished 19 points behind their neighbours in 2017-18 and the Tottenham manager could not resist a joke at City's expense following his current side's dramatic 3-2 win at Aston Villa on Saturday.

The win moved Tottenham up to fifth which will now qualify them for a Champions League place if City's appeal against Uefa's decision is rejected.

"I have to ask if the team that finished second in 2018 is going to be champions," Mourinho said. "Yes or no? That would be interesting but joking apart, I just wait calmly. Fourth or fifth, I just think about doing the best we can. The more points we can get the better position we can get. At the end of the season we'll see where we are. If we are sixth or seventh, then it doesn't matter if the fifth goes to Champions League.

"From what I got is that Uefa punish them but they have the chance to appeal. I think until the appeal finishes, Manchester City have the benefit of the doubt. In the end of the process we will see if they are punished or not.

"There is a big fight," Mourinho continued. "You could see yesterday Liverpool, first against the last, you could see today Villa fighting to stay in the division and us fighting for top position, how difficult is is. This is the Premier League. So when we speak about the fifth spot, I think for sure Wolves, Sheffield United, Man United, Arsenal, Everton, everyone looks to the table and week after week they say we can do it and they can. It's going to be very hard."

Heung-min Son scored twice, including a dramatic stoppage-time winner, to pass fifty League goals for Spurs. The South Korean put the visitors ahead after Toby Alderweireld had scored at both ends, and capitalised on a late error from Bjorn Engels, who had earlier equalised for Villa.

"It was a performance with mistakes," said Mourinho. "A performance with a bad start, a bad collective start but a performance with fantastic mentality, great personality, great desire to win and fantastic football.

"I think it is the match since I arrive when we created the most chances. We had so many chances to score. Not just the chance that arrive occasionally but the chances we really build and work for and beautiful football. So I am obviously very, very pleased with the victory but I would now be complaining if the result was 2-2 after we missed so many chances, especially in the second half. Too much football just to score a goal in minute 94."

"The problem with Son and Lucas, the problem with especially these two guys is they have to play 90 minutes every game," Mourinho added.

"That's the problem and if they run out of fuel then we are in trouble but their quality as players is fantastic, their attitude towards the team is absolutely incredible and I am so, so pleased for them.

"A team without Harry [Kane] is finding obviously difficulties, the difficulties are the nature of the Premier League, but in the middle of the difficulties we are finding a different way to play football. We are finding a different way to create opportunities and to score enough goals to put ourselves in a position to fight for a good position in the table."