Jamie Redknapp didn’t hold back in his critique of Manchester City’s performance against Brighton, calling it “one of the worst halves of football I’ve seen from a Pep Guardiola side.” The match ended in a 2-1 loss for City, marking their fourth consecutive defeat across all competitions—a streak the club hasn’t faced since Stuart Pearce’s tenure in 2006.
Erling Haaland initially put City ahead after a brilliant setup from Mateo Kovacic, and Guardiola’s side appeared in control throughout the first half. But the match took a drastic turn in the second half when Brighton came alive, ultimately creating eight major chances—a record against a Guardiola-led City side in the Premier League.
Brighton’s Joao Pedro leveled the score following some lackluster defending from City, and substitute Matt O’Riley struck again just five minutes later, securing Brighton’s victory and pushing them into the league’s top four. This result also provided Liverpool with a prime opportunity to go five points clear at the top of the table with their later match against Aston Villa.
Redknapp was unsparing in his analysis of City’s performance at the Amex, describing their play as “abject.” He commented, “Four bad results. I thought second half… that’s one of the worst halves of football I’ve seen from a Pep Guardiola side. They were abject; they didn’t defend, they didn’t win individual battles, they didn’t pass the ball forwards.“
He noted that City had been impressive in the first half, with Steph Houghton even suggesting at halftime that they should have been 3-0 up. However, Redknapp said, “When the game starts to run away from you, you’re looking at characters. Who is going to dig in, who is going to get on the ball when you need him most? There was nobody to do it.“
He further criticized City’s defensive setup, stating, “The two center-backs are not a regular partnership, and you could see it—they looked like a bunch of strangers. The goals were really poor from Manchester City’s point of view.“
