These have been a difficult few months at the Etihad Stadium, having rapidly gone from title challengers to facing the prospect of missing out on Champions League football.
That embarrassment has almost certainly been averted after they racked up a third straight win, with Sergio Aguero's strike enough secure a 1-0 victory at Tottenham.
It was an impressive end to a run of four straight league defeats on the road and a timely response to the celebrations across London, where hours earlier Chelsea rubber-stamped the title with victory against Crystal Palace.
Pellegrini noticeably did not congratulate Mourinho's side after overcoming Spurs, instead making a point of focusing on the importance of style.
"I am very happy because I think that we played well against a difficult team," the City boss said.
"(Tottenham is) a team that plays very attractive football, that beat Chelsea
"Champion this year with the best defence, but Chelsea concede five goals here.
"I congratulate Mauricio Pochettino and his players because they play attractive football
We also do it.
"It was an amusing game and I think the fans really enjoyed it."
Pellegrini enjoyed the "beautiful, close, difficult game" at White Hart Lane and repeatedly spoke about attractive football in the post-match press conference.
"I am not thinking about the gap," he said
"I think Chelsea did this year exactly what we did last year - they won the Premier League and they won the Capital One Cup
"We did exactly the same last year, scoring more goals in another style.
"I think every year in the Premier League you have five important teams and all of them can win the title."
Asked if it was important that teams competing for the championships play attractive football, Pellegrini said: "I think it is important for the Premier League and it is important for the fans to play attractive football
That's why I just said that we won playing another style.
"We did exactly the same that Chelsea did this year, but we scored last year 158 goals and in this whole season 101 in the Premier League, 27 in the Capital One Cup.
"This team continues as the most scoring team
That side is important, to continue winning in that sense."
City would not have been celebrating an eighth win in nine Premier League matches against Tottenham were it not for some poor finishing and a man-of-the-match display from Joe Hart.
The defeat almost certainly extinguishes Spurs' hopes of Champions League qualification and left head coach Mauricio Pochettino frustrated.
"I'm feeling very disappointed with the result but at the same time I was happy with the performance because it was very good," he said.
"We deserved more this afternoon
I think that we managed the game, the tempo and we created more chances than Manchester City but we didn't score
In football, if we don't score, it is difficult to win the game.
"I think that today Aguero was very effective
He created two or three chances and scored one.
"He is one of the best players in the world - I think I repeat this every time that we play against him but it is true.
"But it is true in the first half I think we deserved more
We created a lot of chances, the second half too.
"Manchester City I think not only had Aguero but Joe Hart, who was man of the match
I think he saved the result and had a brilliant performance."
Source : PA
Source: PA