After Mourinho had suggested City were the beneficiaries of refereeing decisions his counterpart hit back about the amount of money the Blues had spent in January.
But, with Chelsea moving top of the Barclays Premier League table over the weekend as they easily saw off Newcastle 3-0 while City laboured to a goalless draw at Norwich, Mourinho turned the tables on Pellegrini's comments - hinting that the Chilean should know better given his background as a civil engineer.
"What I would like to say that Pellegrini was talking about the money we've spent," he said.
"I think he's a fantastic coach, and I respect that a lot, and on top of that, outside his football career, he's an engineer by academic formation.
"I don't think an engineer needs a calculator to do (Juan) Mata £37million and (Kevin) De Bruyne £18million, so that's £55million.
"(Nemanja) Matic is £21million and (Mohamed) Salah is £11million
That's £32million
55 minus 32 is 23
So Chelsea, in this transfer window, generated £23million
It's easy to understand that this is working with financial fair play, fair financial fair play.
"There are no arguments against that
This is what we're doing
Others aren't doing the same
We are building a team for the next decade, if possible
They have a team to win now because they don't have a team for 10 years.
"They have a team for now, for the next three or four
So experience, potential, power, not worried about Financial Fair Play because, in the summer, they just spend..
We don't need a calculator for this
It's easy
Plus 23.
"He has a fantastic team, fantastic players, is a good manager
Has lots of experience, so it's not a problem for him
13 matches are 39 points, and that's an eternity in a league.
"He's been speaking about winning four competitions, so there's no reason to change the speech
But the only thing that is funny that he keeps saying he never responds to Mourinho, he never comments about Mourinho
He said that in Spain, too
So, he's changed."
Source : PA
Source: PA