Manuel Pellegrini made a veiled criticism of Chelsea's style as Jose Mourinho continued his vow of silence after his side's impressive rearguard display in a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
City remain five points behind Mourinho's Premier League leaders despite placing Chelsea under siege for much of the contest.
Thibaut Courtois' uncharacteristic error led to David Silva's equaliser before halftime. Just a few moments earlier, Loic Remy, deputising for the suspended Diego Costa, had given the hosts the lead.
Chelsea were encamped in their own half for much of the match and will be more satisfied with a point which leaves them in pole position for a first title in five years with 15 games to go.
Pellegrini, who called Chelsea a "small team" after September's 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture, questioned Mourinho's approach afterwards.
The City boss, the only manager to speak post-match as Mourinho continued his blank of the media, said: "Both teams have a clear style of play. Everyone wants to play in the way they think is better.
"He has a style. You analyse the style of Chelsea. I analyse just the style of my team. Our team tried to win the game from the first minute till the end. I'm very proud about that.
"It's not easy to come here, to Stamford Bridge, against the leaders of the Premier League, with very good players.
"We create, especially in the first half, clear chances to deserve more than the point. That's why I'm not happy about the point but I'm happy about the performance of the team."
Pellegrini praised Chelsea's defensive efforts, too.
"From the first minute we came for the three points," he added. "We made some changes to continue trying to create space against a team that defended very well, very near their box and is very dangerous on counterattack.
"We couldn't just think about attacking. That was the most important thing of the game, that they didn't have any chances to have those fast counterattacks that they always do.
"I don't think Chelsea played for a draw. I just said our team played to win."
City were the first team to emerge undefeated from Stamford Bridge in the Premier League this season, ending the Blues' 10-match winning run.
And Pellegrini maintains his side are capable of overcoming the deficit in the remaining months of the season.
"Of course it was important to try to close the gap," he said. "We tried, but we couldn't. We still have 45 points more to play.
"This was a very important game, it was not a final. We have time to try to recover those five points. If we continue playing in the way we did today, I think will be more easy."
Mourinho, who cancelled his usual Friday pre-match media conference in apparent protest at Costa's three-match suspension for stamping on Liverpool's Emre Can, again declined to speak publicly.
