Guardiola resists temptation to blame referee after Tottenham draw

Pep Guardiola's project at Manchester City might not be going to plan, but the Catalan manager continues to avoid pointing fingers.

Speaking after City was held to a 2-2 draw by Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium, Guardiola blamed the result on missed chances rather than Andre Marriner's failure to spot a push on Raheem Sterling and the domino effect that ensued.

Related: 3 takeaways as City drops points against opportunistic Spurs

In the fixture's 76th minute, Sterling burst through on goal and, while in a one-on-one situation against Hugo Lloris, was shoved in the back by Kyle Walker. As a result, the English forward stabbed an off-balance shot right at the French 'keeper. It looked a clear penalty, but Marriner didn't react, and, moments after City appealed for a penalty, Tottenham equalised through Son Heung-min.

"I don't think Raheem was very happy about the incident but in the end it doesn't matter," Guardiola said, according to the Guardian's Paul Wilson. "We did not win because we missed a lot of chances, not because of the referee. There was a real deja-vu feeling about this game, it was just like the ones against Chelsea and Everton.

"Tottenham had two chances on target and took them both. We missed a lot of chances we created. We have to score more goals."

Guardiola refused to agree with the argument Sterling should have made more of the contact, saying: "I think he was trying to be honest in staying on his feet. I think in this country you like honest people."

There was also praise from Guardiola regarding City's display. "I am sad for my players again. When we play s--- I can accept a poor result, but today we did not play s---. The performance was outstanding, one of our best of the season, but like the games against Chelsea and Everton we will only be judged by the results."

Next up for Guardiola and City is a trip to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup's fourth round. The tie goes Saturday.