Mauricio Pochettino was pleased with his side’s battling spirit but says Tottenham cannot compete with Manchester City off the field after the sides drew 2-2 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Gabriel Jesus was denied a last-gasp winner by VAR as Tottenham snatched a remarkable point against the Premier League champions.

The Brazilian looked to have claimed a deserved victory for City right at the death but his late strike was ruled out for a handball by Aymeric Laporte.

City twice led after Kevin De Bruyne created goals for Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero in the first half with pinpoint crosses. However, they were cancelled out by Erik Lamela and, with his first touch as a substitute, Lucas Moura.

“I think the team, or the squad, is still uncertain. I think we need to wait until the transfer window in Europe closes to see which player we are going to have,” said Spurs boss Pochettino after the result.

“And of course, that is not easy, never easy. And we will face today the last Premier League winner. The last two seasons they were winning. They are a very consistent team, improving every season. Signing players that came from different team that were winning like Cancelo from Juventus.

“We are in a different process. That is why we cannot compare both teams. The most important is the fight and the belief that we showed today and the character.”