Jamie Redknapp slammed Manchester City after the Premier League champions slumped to their fourth consecutive defeat following Brighton’s superb second half comeback.
Pep Guardiola’s relentless winning machine have ground to a half in recent weeks, but they looked to be back on course after Erling Haaland’s 23rd minute opener.
City spurned several opportunities to extend their lead and were made to pay in the second period after Fabian Hurzeler made a series of game changing substitutions.
One of those replacements, Joao Pedro, brought his side level with an opportunistic strike 12 minutes from full time, but that wasn’t the end of the drama.
Indeed, five minutes later summer signing Matt O’Riley, back from injury, scored on his Premier League debut, providing the perfect finish to a flowing team move.
While Brighton deserve credit for a win that fired them, temporarily at least, into the top four, the focus will fall on City who have now lost four games in a row for the first time ever under Guardiola.
‘Four bad results,’ said Redknapp giving his immediate reaction to Sky Sports. ‘I thought second half, and I’ve watched a lot of Manchester City, I’ve admired him for so long but 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.
‘They were excellent first half, Steph [Houhgton] mentioned it at half-time they should’ve been 3-0 up.
‘The second half when he made the subs, there was only one team going to win it. 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.
‘The two centre backs are not a regular partnership and you could see it they looked like a bunch of strangers.
‘The goals they were really poor from Manchester City’s point of view.’