Guardiola rejected the notion that his side struggled emotionally in their three big games but it is understood that, privately, he was disappointed that his players wilted when the going got tough.
That was not the case here; City dug in for the first 20 minutes of the second half, not allowing Eriksen and Dele Alli any space to create an opening for the prolific Harry Kane. And, without the banned Fernandinho, that is a task worth applauding.
Vincent Kompany and Aymeric Laporte were dependable at the back and Guardiola himself proved a point, having faced accusations that his tactics are too one-dimensional in the last 10 days. The Catalan withdrew Leroy Sane, put on Nicolas Otamendi and moved to a three-man defence, with Fabian Delph and Kyle Walker as wing-backs. That pushed his creative players into the midfield and helped keep control of the match.