City conceded an injury-time equaliser to make it a 1-1 draw with the Potters.
“Physically we were strong and football-wise we were too, but we showed we can dig in when we need to,” he told the club’s official website.
“Stoke threw a lot of throw-ins and corners at us, but I thought we dealt with it well.
“Three points would have been ideal, but we have not lost at a place where people may think we may have rolled over or been bullied.”
“We have great characters, we have players with great strength but we also have someone like David Silva,” continued the England international.
“On that pitch, people may have thought he would have had nothing to do with the game but he ran the show. That showed big character from him.”
He added: “It was good fun. I really like playing at Stoke, they are a great side to play against for a goalkeeper – if you like that sort of thing.
“I enjoyed it and I thought we got through it well, but it was a shame about the last few seconds.”
