Guardiola said: "I give a lot of credit because I know the opposition we face. Brighton have been struggling with a lot of absences this season. And even so they still play with courage and never give up, they will continue to do it.
"But it is a good result for us, really good. We scored four goals, that's the key. We spoke as a team that if we did not have the ball we would suffer. The players, they did it very well.
"I said before, what we have done in the past, it does not mean we will do it in the future. There are five games left, we know the margins are so tight. We have to win every one. Each game we are closer."
Asked if the title now just between Manchester City and Arsenal, he said: "It is not. What happened to Liverpool, two defeats in a row, it can happen to Arsenal, it can happen to us. What is important is that still we are there. There is a lot of games to play.
"We have been here in the past but it doesn't mean it is going to happen (win the title). We have to do the things to make it happen. We know Brighton never give up and in the first half we found the right rhythm and we scored in the right moments. In the right moments, we punished them. Brighton away is always very tough."
On closing the goal difference on Arsenal, he added: "It is difficult to cut. The margin is so big. They score a lot of goals and don't concede. The main thing is to win the game. We have five games left and they are tough ones. One game at a time. Now recover and then Nottingham Forest."