Pep Guardiola couldn’t conceal his frustration with Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke after Manchester City’s 2-1 defeat at the Amex Stadium.
City initially took the lead with Erling Haaland’s historic goal, marking his 75th top-flight strike, but Brighton’s late comeback, courtesy of goals from Joao Pedro and Matt O’Riley, handed Guardiola’s side a fourth straight competitive defeat—a losing streak City hasn’t experienced since August 2006. This is also the first time in Guardiola’s 17-year career that he’s lost four consecutive games.
After the final whistle, cameras caught a heated exchange between Guardiola and Van Hecke. The tension stemmed from an incident in injury time when Van Hecke brought Haaland down as he shielded the ball, an action Guardiola took issue with. Haaland’s reaction earned him a yellow card, intensifying the situation.
Following the match, Guardiola approached Van Hecke, leaning in to whisper something before an intense discussion ensued, with the two face-to-face. Despite the exchange, they ended by shaking hands. Guardiola later shared his words to Van Hecke, explaining, “He was strong with Erling [Haaland]. I said, ‘When Erling then stands up to you, stay on your feet, don’t go to the grass’. But he played a really good game.“
Reflecting on City’s struggles, Guardiola remarked, “Two in the Premier League. You have to count the victories and defeats, and we will win a lot. If you have to count how many victories in a row, we are far away from that position.”
He acknowledged the challenges ahead: “It’s not nice to lose two in a row. The performance in certain moments is good, but not in all the minutes we need. We have to change to win again. We’re not far away – second going into the international break.”
