City - who had won 19 of their previous 20 matches in all competitions - started Monday's clash strongly, but Chelsea slowly worked their way into the game and sealed a 1-0 win thanks a superb Branislav Ivanovic strike just after the half-hour mark.
Jose Mourinho's side went on to hit the woodwork on three occasions as City's goal lived a charmed life, while at the other end the hosts struggled to test Chelsea keeper Petr Cech.
"For Chelsea it was a decisive game, for us it was an important one," the Chilean told Sky Sports. "We're still two points behind Arsenal.
"It was a very tough game, they score a beautiful goal but we had clear chances at least to draw.
"We couldn't do and they had two or three chances against the post. It was a very close game, they played well.
"We are not going to have any problems (bouncing back)."
"Missing players (made it tough)," he added. "To play without Sergio Aguero, Samir Nasri, Fernandinho and Javi Garcia was difficult.
"Fernandinho was a big loss."
