Pep Guardiola delivers brutally honest Premier League title take as Man City stings again

Pep Guardiola has claimed one of Man City's rivals may deserve to win this year's Premier League title following their latest defeat at Brighton.

Despite leading at half-time, City were undone by two quick goals in the second half, with Matt O'Riley scoring the decisive goal on his top-flight debut.

This is Guardiola's first ever four-game losing streak in his managerial career, including defeats to Bournemouth and Brighton in the league, a Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Tottenham and a heavy defeat in the Champions League. champions against Sporting Lisbon.

The defeat leaves City five points behind Liverpool, who increased their lead after victory over Aston Villa.

Guardiola expressed his concerns on Match of the Day: “We are not capable of playing 90 minutes at the moment,” he said. “We played a very good first half and a few moments in the second half. We lost again, so clean our heads, the international break and hopefully our players will come back fit.

“We still have to try to win games. We couldn't keep the pace in the second half. Four [defeats] in a row. Things need to change quickly.

“The schedule is getting tough but it will happen when the players come back. Maybe after seven years of winning six Premier Leagues, maybe one year another team will deserve it. We'll see what happens at Liverpool against Aston Villa, we'll see.”

Manchester City have been hit hard by injuries recently, with Rodri's torn ACL just one of many setbacks. Oscar Bobb is yet to make an appearance this season due to a broken leg, while defensive injuries led Guardiola to hand teenager Jahmai Simpson-Pusey his Premier League debut.

“He played really, really well today, really, really well,” Guardiola praised Simpson-Pusey. “It's not easy to play in these circumstances. He was really good.”

The defeat against Brighton marks the first time City have lost four matches in a row since 2006.

Stuart Pearce was the manager at the time, finishing the 2005–06 season with three consecutive league defeats before losing the first game of the following season at Chelsea.

After the international break, Guardiola's side will face Spurs again, followed by a Champions League match against Feyenoord and a crucial Premier League showdown with Liverpool on December 1.