Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini was delighted with the spirit shown in victory over Tottenham.
Mancini has come under fire for his team's poor form in Europe and his own erratic behaviour.
But he said: "It was a huge win because it was a difficult moment - I saw the same spirit from the players that I saw last year.
"The Premier League season is long and difficult and there are a lot of teams who can fight for the title.
"We have made some mistakes in the Champions League but in football you can never say never."