What did Guardiola tell Brighton's Jan Paul van Hecke after Man City's loss? Lip-reader decodes fiery exchange

In a dramatic turn of events following Manchester City’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday, Pep Guardiola was seen engaging in a tense exchange with Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke. The conversation between the two sparked intrigue, and expert lip-reader Jeremy Freeman has now shed light on what transpired during the heated moment.

Despite Erling Haaland opening the scoring to give City the lead, Brighton mounted a late comeback with goals from Joao Pedro and Matt O’Riley, securing a vital win that ended Guardiola's side's poor run of form. The defeat marked a fourth consecutive loss for City across all competitions, a rare occurrence under Guardiola, leaving them five points adrift of Liverpool in the Premier League title race.

The encounter between Guardiola and Van Hecke took place after the final whistle, with the two deep in conversation. Though it's not unusual for Guardiola to engage with opposing players post-match, this particular exchange attracted attention due to its intensity.

According to Freeman's lip-reading analysis, as quoted in a DailyMail.com report, here's what could have likely transpire between Guardiola and Van Hecke:

Guardiola – 'Are you joking?'

Guardiola – 'Are you serious?'

Guardiola – 'You don't do that'

Van Hecke – 'uh?'

Guardiola – 'You asked for…crying'

Guardiola – 'Are you crying?'

Van Hecke – 'uh'

Guardiola – 'Of course not'

Guardiola – 'Are you proud of it?'

Van Hecke – 'Sure'

Guardiola – 'Fair play for that…'

Van Hecke – 'Why?'

Guardiola – 'At least….' – hidden whisper into ear.

Guardiola – 'No come on baby..no..'

Guardiola – 'No, let's go clap'

Guardiola – 'You played a good game. I still like to congratulate you'

Van Hecke – 'OK…both of us……as well…really…' (there are missing bits that I couldn't catch)

Guardiola – 'Congratulations, anyway …enjoy your night'

Van Heck – 'Thank you'

Van Hecke, speaking to the media afterward, downplayed the altercation, stating that they had simply discussed the foul in the box. He explained that Guardiola congratulated him on his performance and praised City's team.

"We were just speaking about the foul at the end in the box. He asked me what happened in the box and I explained. He congratulated me. I said they had a great team. He is a great manager. You see the way his team played at the end of last season when we lost 4-0," the Brighton defender had said.

"I felt like the whole game I was in the rondo. I only have a lot of respect for him," the 24-year-old added.

Guardiola himself later praised Van Hecke's aggressive defending, noting that the Dutchman had handled Haaland well during the match. "He's aggressive and a really really good player," the City boss said.

After the international break, City will look to return to winning form when they host Tottenham, who also suffered a surprising defeat to Ipswich this weekend. Meanwhile, Brighton will travel to Bournemouth.

Guardiola remains confident that his team will recover and relaunch their bid for a fifth consecutive Premier League title.

"That's what it is always about - not being complacent when you win a lot. We know how difficult it is and how nice it will be when we win again. Right now, we are not at our best, it's obvious. But it's still November - we'll recover our best," he said.