Jurgen Klopp has surely risked punishment from the Premier League, after going in on referee Paul Tierney and accusing him of having an issue with Liverpool.
Certainly Liverpool's game with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon was full of incident, as fans were treated to an instant classic at Anfield.
A 4-3 win for the hosts, thanks to a last minute goal, might have felt like history repeating, and Spurs would have felt that was as well, when they went 3-0 down after just 15 minutes.
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However, Ryan Mason's team got back into it just before half time, after Ivan Perisic destroyed Virgil van Dijk in the build up, to set up a blistering second half.
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Son Heung-min added a second after the break and then all hell broke loose, with Richarlison scoring an equaliser deep into injury time, his first league goal of the season.
But just when it looked like Liverpool had bottled it in true Crystanbul style, Diogo Jota scored the winning goal just moments after kick off.
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Klopp's reaction to the winner was to run over to the fourth official and scream in his face, injuring himself in the process, and earning a yellow card.
But in the aftermath of full time, the German revealed his unhappiness with referee Tierney, suggesting the man in the middle had said something untoward when brandishing the manager's booking.
"Fair punishment for behaving not the right away," Klopp told Sky Sports about the yellow, before adding, "Of course we are emotional in these moments. It's difficult. It is not okay, we shouldn't do that, yes, we are role models, all clear.
"But we are human beings first and foremost. Before you are a role model you're a human being and that happens in the moment.
"Fair enough, I'm already punished, I got a yellow card on top of that, I think [Tierney] thought I should have got a different punishment but because of the fourth official, it was a yellow card. That's it. We have to ask Mr Tierney what is going on.
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"We have history with Mr Tierney, I really don't know what this man has with us. He always will say there's nothing and it's not true. It cannot be
"What he said to me when he gave me the yellow cardโฆ it's not okay.
"I have pain for a few days, Mr Tierney not. (Next game) I will be ready to do what I always do and the celebrations โ if we have something to celebrate will be much calmer."
Whilst the former Borussia Dortmund manager claimed it was something against his team, it was actually the hosts who benefitted from two huge calls.
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Before his equaliser, Richarlison should have been awarded a penalty, when Ibrahima Konate appeared to pull him back inside the box.
But it was Jota's foul on Oliver Skipp that will hurt Spurs the most, with the forward booting the midfielder in the head and only picking up a yellow.
Seeing him score the winner would have just added to the pain, especially for Skipp, suggesting that it was Mason who deserved to complain more.
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Klopp's previous run in with the referee had also come against Spurs, telling Tierney after the game in 2021, "I have no problems with any referees. Only YOU!"
Featured Image Credit: Sky SportsTopics:ย Premier League, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Jurgen Klopp, Football
