'City can blow teams away'

Pep Guardiola criticised Newcastle's approach during City's 1-0 win at St James' Park on Wednesday, saying that only one side had tried to play football.

Newcastle deployed a flat back five against City and set up largely to defend, finishing the game with just 22% of the possession.

Their performance led former Liveprool defender Jamie Carragher to describe the Premier League as a 'joke' due to the way smaller clubs set up against the big boys, but Hughton has now move to defend Newcastle and the Premier League's so-called 'lesser sides'.

The Brighton boss was also criticised in some parts for his cautious approach in the 2-0 loss to Chelsea on Boxing Day, but says that teams have the right to set up however they want against side that are rammed full of creative talent.

"Not everyone realises how difficult it is against the top six, particularly City at this moment and the way they can blow teams away," he explained.

"Everyone has the right to set their team up how they feel is the right way against what is certainly by far the best team in the country at the moment."