An entertaining encounter at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday produced five goals, four penalties - two of which were missed - and a red card for a Premier League debutant.

Federico Fazio was the man to see red, with his second-half dismissal sparking a late collapse from Spurs.

Pochettino's side had been very much in the contest up until that point, with Christian Eriksen cancelling out Sergio Aguero's early opener.

City's Argentine frontman was to steal the headlines, though, as he netted all four goals for the hosts to leave Spurs reflecting on what might have been - with key decisions going against them and Roberto Soldado missing from the spot when presented with an opportunity to make it 2-2.

Pochettino told Spurs TV: "I'm really disappointed with the result because it doesn't reflect the situation in the game.

"For me, there were two key moments: the Soldado penalty and the penalty in the first half, (Erik) Lamela (foul on Frank Lampard), the first penalty.

"But this is football. It's important to take the positives and try to improve. We never gave up."

Pochettino is now eager to turn attention away from a forgettable result and hopes Tottenham's loyal band of travelling supporters will do likewise as they prepare for a Europa League home date with Asteras on Thursday.

He added: "They were unbelievable and created a big atmosphere for us.

"It's just a shame we can't offer them three points or a good result today."