Pep Guardiola swallowed his European disappointment to refocus on a domestic treble after returning to the top of the table with victory over Spurs but he said Manchester City are likely to be without Kevin De Bruyne for Wednesday’s derby at United.

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Guardiola described Tottenham as “an incredible team” and City’s title rivals as “the best ever Liverpool”, and claimed his side staying on course for a second successive title was one of the most remarkable achievements of his professional career.

“It was really tough after our defeat on Wednesday but we are now with 86 points after reaching 100 last season,” he said. “What we have already done is massive, because today Spurs had nothing to lose and we played with the Premier League to lose.

“Tottenham will finish in the top four, it is going to happen, they still have three games at home so they did not have the pressure that we had. Going out of the Champions League is a big fail in my career, I have to accept that, but in the league where everyone can lose to everyone it is remarkable how we keep coming back. Ten victories in a row in the Premier League is not bad. For the last two or three months here we have known that to lose a game would be to lose a competition. These last few days have been tough but I like it tough.”

Guardiola said De Bruyne is set to miss the derby after pulling up with a suspected hamstring problem, though he was encouraged by the performance of Phil Foden, given a rare start in a crucial fixture. “Maybe we can play Phil against United, Kevin will not be there,” Guardiola said. “He [Foden] is an incredibly talented player with an ability to arrive in the box, which is how he got his goal. Every time he plays he either scores goals or makes chances.

“Against Tottenham he showed his ability to play in tight spaces, because it is not easy to play against Dier or Wanyama or Eriksen. It was a fantastic experience for him and I trust him a lot.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Manchester City’s Phil Foden turns away from Lucas Moura at the Etihad Stadium. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images

Mauricio Pochettino shared Guardiola’s optimism about his side’s chances of a top-four finish. “It’s in our hands,” he said. “The next two games [at home to Brighton and West Ham] will be decisive. It will be tough but I feel very proud of my players after their performance against City.”

Pochettino thought Spurs should have had a penalty when Dele Alli chested the ball on to Kyle Walker’s arm but he did not want to dwell on it. “I’m not going to complain, I think it was a clear handball, but we accept the decision that he didn’t give a penalty. The referee can make a mistake like us and we need to move on.”

Guardiola, referencing Jan Vertonghen’s challenge on Bernardo Silva, said: “Each side could have had a penalty, it could have finished 2-1.”

Pochettino added: “We deserved at least a draw, and in my opinion the man of the match was the City goalkeeper. The game was always open and we were strong to the end, now we have to try to recover the energy to be strong again on Tuesday.”

Pochettino thought the game might have been so even because both sides were feeling the effects of their midweek meeting. “I know City were disappointed but it was emotional for us too, and we were very late back to London,” he said. “I had to give the team some fresh legs, there were some players I didn’t want to risk, and I think it was the same for City. An early kick-off was not ideal after a game like Wednesday’s but it was tough for both sides.”