Guardiola explains Redmond diatribe: I told him 'how good a player he is'

Pep Guardiola insists he was simply sharing Nathan Redmond's frustrations when he appeared to harangue the Southampton winger after Wednesday's final whistle.

Raheem Sterling pocketed a lush, 96th-minute winner for Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, but Guardiola was visibly frustrated by Southampton's time-wasting antics in the match - especially when the Saints have players as talented as Redmond.

Related: City star Sterling sets club record of 12 straight wins with 96th-minute goal

"(I told him) how good a player he is," Guardiola said, according to The Telegraph.

"Last season he destroyed us here. I didn't know him last season, I realised how good he is. Southampton have some super-talented players, Redmond is so good one against one."

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

In last season's meeting in the northwest, Southampton condemned City to a winless streak of five games. Redmond opened the scoring when he thieved a dreadful backpass from John Stones and rounded Claudio Bravo, but City equalised in the second stanza through Kelechi Iheanacho. Although Southampton was also defensively sound on that occasion, it posed a constant threat on the break through the pace of Redmond and Dusan Tadic.

"But they didn't want to play, they were time wasting from the ninth minute. I just wanted them to play," Guardiola added on the clubs' latest tussle.

"Today he could not attack because they defend all the time, but that is what it is. I spoke with Oriol Romeu as well, with (Virgil) van Dijk, and with my players as well."

Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino said he didn't see the incident, but claimed that his players weren't guilty of "too many actions" that wasted time.