Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola defended his team after their 3-1 defeat to Chelsea.

He was frustrated by the result, but proud of his team for their performance against opposition who have now won eight Premier League games in a row.

"Congratulations to Chelsea," said Guardiola. "To give my opinion when you lose it looks like an excuse. I am so proud of my team and how we played. I came here to try to play the way we played today.

"We cannot forget about which team we played. We created more chances than (against) Burnley and Crystal Palace, when we won. I congratulate my team for what we did.

"It's not enough. In the boxes we are not strong enough. But Crystal Palace maybe we didn't deserve to win. It is part of the process. Keep fighting, keep going, improve our mistakes. But I don't have regrets."

Guardiola, meanwhile, declined to comment on a first-half incident that might have resulted in a red card for David Luiz.

The defender nudged Sergio Aguero when he looked poised to go clean through, but the referee, who also turned down a number of City penalty appeals, ruled it was not a foul.

"We didn't win because we missed a lot of chances, not for the referee," said Guardiola. "I have to understand them, that's all. There are many things in the last games. I will speak with my team how we have to handle these type of situations."