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By TUM BALOGUN Published: 07: 20 AEDT, 10 November 2024 | Updated: 07: 51 AEDT, 10 November 2024 32 View comments Pep Guardiola was caught in a heated exchange with Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke after the final whistle of the Seagulls' 2-1 win over Manchester City. The Premier League champions slumped to their fourth successive defeat in all competitions at the Amex on Saturday evening, courtesy of second-half goals from Joao Pedro and Matt O'Riley. City had taken the lead during a dominant first half when Erling Haaland found the net for only the second time in six matches. But the Seagulls' stunning turnaround sees the visitors lose crucial ground in the title race to table-toppers Liverpool. After the final whistle, Guardiola was caught in a heated exchange with Van Hecke, who had been involved in a scuffle with Haaland in stoppage time. The Spaniard was engaged in a pretty spirited conversation with the 24-year-old and appeared to make reference to the incident at the end of the clash. Pep Guardiola and Jan Paul van Hecke had a heated exchange after Brighton beat Man City Van Hecke had been involved in a scuffle with Erling Haaland before the end of the match Guardiola said he had told Van Hecke to stand up against Haaland after their battle in the game What was said between Pep Guardiola and Jan Paul van Hecke? ? pic. twitter. com/7YDr KX97NB For his part, Van Hecke appeared to offer a staunch defence of Guardiola's accusation. Guardiola addressed the incident in his post-match press conference, claiming he had told Van Hecke that he should stand up in his altercation with Haaland, noting how he had defended strongly against the forward during the match. The Man City boss added that he Van Hecke and Brighton had played a great game, with Guardiola offering his congratulations. City came into the clash off the back of a shock 4-1 defeat to Sporting CP in the Champions League on Tuesday night but Guardiola remained without several key stars due to injury. The City boss handed a first Premier League start to youngster Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, while Josko Gvardiol was moved into a central defensive position amid ongoing issues with player availability. City have only scored 22 Premier League goals thus far - the same number as mid-table Brentford and Tottenham - from their opening 11 matches but had already blitzed home 28 at this stage of last season. Furthermore, they have also conceded five more goals than this time last year and their backline is looking jaded ahead of crunch fixtures against Spurs and Liverpool. The champions could find themselves five point behind the leaders Liverpool if they claim a victory over Aston Villa on Saturday night. Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group