Monday 15 February 2016 07:00, UK
Mauricio Pochettino says Tottenham's 2-1 win at Manchester City means more than just three points, but refused to get carried away with their title chances.
Harry Kane gave Spurs the lead at the Etihad with a 53rd-minute penalty before Christian Eriksen grabbed a late winner after Kelechi Iheanacho equalised.
Spurs have now won five in a row in the Premier League and are just two points behind leaders Leicester, who were beaten at Arsenal earlier on Sunday.
"We are very happy, very pleased," Pochettino told Sky Sports. "It's difficult to play against a big team like Man City but the performance was fantastic and I'm very happy for our players.
"I am very pleased because it wasn't only a game you play and win; it means a lot more than three points. It wasn't a normal game, we are only young and this type of game is very important for the future."
Asked whether Spurs are now genuine title contenders with 12 games of the season remaining, Pochettino said: "My speech is always the same, we need to keep working hard.
"We need to keep this feeling, keep working hard and keep the right mentality. In football always you need to respect the competition and you need to give your best."
Spurs are still competing on three fronts and turn their attentions to the Europa League on Thursday as they face Fiorentina in the first leg of their last-32 tie.
While Pochettino remained grounded after the win at the Etihad, he was still full of praise for his side.
"We delivered our plan perfectly," he said. "We were very calm and played the way we wanted to play. We have a very young squad against a team with world champions so you have to give full credit to the players.
"We were calm at 1-1 and played well. We defended well and our mentality is to try to score and win the game."
