The Blues were rocked by the early red card for young central defender Dedryck Boyata that ended their bid to establish a six-point cushion over title rivals Arsenal almost before it had begun.
But after giving his squad Monday off to lick their wounds, manager Mancini has left his players in no doubt that they can hold their heads high as they prepare to try and get back on track at Wolves on Saturday.
He said: “There is no feeling that we are dispirited by what happened on Sunday. It is just the opposite.
“We were playing Arsenal, and I think Arsenal and Barcelona are the two teams that you just cannot play against with ten men. It’s very difficult, they pass so well. But we played a fantastic game even though we lost 3-0.
“The result was undeserved as well. I think that we were still in the game for 70 minutes, we always tried to play football, and we always tried to score. I think that we showed we are a strong team.
“For me, I’m disappointed to lose and so are the players. But this game can be important, because now we understand that we are a very strong team, that we play together and we have the right spirit in the team.”
City are now neck and neck with Arsenal and Manchester United - next visitors to the City of Manchester Stadium on November 10 - in the chase to catch League leaders Chelsea. Mancini warned: “Wolves will be another tough game.”
