Pep Guardiola confronted Jan Paul van Hecke after Manchester City’s defeat to Brighton (Getty)
Pep Guardiola has revealed that he called out Jan Paul van Hecke over his clash with Erling Haaland after Manchester City’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton on Saturday.
Guardiola has lost four games in a row for the first time in his managerial career, while City remain two points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, who are playing Aston Villa on Saturday night.
Haaland opened the scoring for City in the first half but Brighton drastically improved after the break and substitute Joao Pedro equalised with 12 minutes remaning.
It was then another substitute, 23-year-old midfielder Matt O’Riley, who came on to score the winner for Brighton on his Premier League debut.
Van Hecke, meanwhile, was involved in a physical confrontation with Haaland inside Brighton’s penalty area in the closing stages of injury time.
Erling Haaland and Jan Paul van Hecke were both booked for their clash in injury time (Reuters)
Pep Guardiola complained about Jan Paul van Hecke going to ground in his clash with Erling Haaland (Reuters)
Both Van Hecke and Haaland, who pulled the Brighton centre-back to the floor, were booked over the incident.
After the full-time whistle, Guardiola approached Van Hecke on the pitch and was in deep conversation with the Netherlands international.
When asked about his words with Van Hecke after the game, Guardiola replied: ‘He was strong with Erling. 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.’
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Source:: Metro
