City fell 2-0 behind by halftime at the Etihad Stadium, facing the prospect of suffering back-to-back league defeats for the first time since 2018, but roared back in the second half with a Riyad Mahrez double helping them earn victory.
Despite a much-needed win that moved City five points behind leaders Arsenal in the Premier League standings, Guardiola was not happy.
"Passion, fire and desire to want to win (was missing) from the first minute," Guardiola said. "Our fans were silent for 45 minutes. We are far away from the team that we were. There are many things that we are far away.
"It is not one single player, everyone is there. It is everyone, as soon as we realise it, we will come back. Our fans must push us, must demand more, have to shout. Today we were lucky but nine times, 10 times you don't come back.
"I want a reaction for all the club, all the organisation, the players, the staff. We are a happy flowers team. I don't want to be a happy flowers, I want to beat Arsenal but if we play in that way Arsenal will destroy, they will beat us."
Guardiola was not done there as he also took aim at critics who say that his lack of a European trophy during his time at City means his overall record in England, where he has won four Premier League crowns, is not successful.
"We have had a lot of success," he added. "People say 'no, he is not successful, as he has not won the Champions League'. Bullshit.
"We won a lot. In this country, to win the league back-to-back titles, twice, with the way we played, with consistency, against this Liverpool side? What is success?
"I have won a lot. It means every day I see things that you don't see because you are not there. I see it."
SPURS LACK EXPERIENCE
Spurs' second-half performance was due to the lack of experience in the team, coach Antonio Conte said, before insisting he remained committed to the club in the long term
"You never lose this type of game with more experience," said Conte.
"You don't buy experience. Well... you could buy experience. But we have to buy experience step-by-step, year-by-year. We have conceded a lot of goals, it's not good to concede four goals in one half.
"This is the first time my team conceded so many goals in one half but you know we have to continue to work, to improve and to try to do our best. We're really disappointed with the result, we deserved more in the end."
Last season Conte helped resuscitate Tottenham from a dismal start under predecessor Nuno Esprito Santo to finish in the top four but his first full campaign is proving a struggle, his side losing six of their last 10 Premier League games.
Conte has also experienced personal pain lately with the death of three close friends, fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone and former players Sinisa Mihajlovic and Gianluca Vialli, although he said those losses did not impact his work as Tottenham coach.
"From the personal aspect it is a difficult season but this situation doesn't affect the work of the team and I'm really focused about this aspect, I am an animal," he said.
"I know what is my task in my situation, I'm working very hard because I want to improve the team, I want to improve the club with my vision, with my ideas.
"I know the task is to be part of this process to try to improve a team into transition, to try to build a solid foundation and a team ready to fight to win."
