What's the story?
Jose Mourinho has hit out at Jurgen Klopp saying he had no intention to 'get Roberto Firmino sent off’ as the visiting manager claimed in the post-match press conference. The two managers had a go at each other on the sidelines late in the game.
With Liverpool having led the game for a majority of the time, Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the vital equaliser late into the second half in the 84th minute, and both the managers let emotions get the better of them both during and after the match.
Also Read: United's Ibrahimovic rescues draw against Liverpool
Klopp insisted that Mourinho wanted Firmino to walk. “He [Mourinho] wanted the minimum of a yellow card, I don’t know. I think the ref whistled before anything else happened,” he said.
“Roberto is a footballer from head to toe and he wanted to stay in the game. He could have passed the ball but that was a yellow card for Herrera and nothing else.
“In the end, it was a yellow card for the guy who wanted to play football. It could have been even worse if someone wants to see it again and all that stuff. We [him and Mourinho] could not have the same opinion in this moment.”
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Liverpool's Brazilian forward was running with the ball in the 91st minute and saw Ander Herrera tug him back by pulling his jersey. The former Hoffenheim man then retaliated by shoving the Spaniard to the ground – who temporarily held his face, despite the contact being near his torso.
Klopp, who had just seen his side concede the equaliser only minutes prior to the incident, thought Mourinho was gesturing to the referee post the incident to get the Brazilian sent off. He confronted the Portuguese manager and things got a bit heated.
Even Mourinho's assistant manager, Rui Faria, stepped into the argument. But throughout the incident, Mourinho was the one with a smile on his face while Klopp failed to listen to a thing that was said.
The heart of the matter
The former Real Madrid and Chelsea manager said that getting Firmino sent off wasn't his agenda. “He thought I was asking for his player to be sent off. I wasn’t. There was no problem at all,” he said.
“I think the game was correct. I think the players gave everything but in an emotional and professional way so the referee did very well in that part of the game – emotional and in control of good professionals. There was aggression but it was good so I think it was great publicity for the Premier League all around the world.”
What’s next?
It remains to be seen if the two managers are reprimanded for their touchline antics, although it does look unlikely that they will get a fine or touchline ban.
Sportskeeda’s take
Knowing Jose Mourinho to be a sly manager, it’s no surprise that Klopp had this to say about him. But in that incident alone, the only person who looked like he wanted Roberto Firmino to get sent off was Manchester United’s Ander Herrera.
Also Read: EPL 2016/17: Manchester United 1-1 Liverpool - 5 talking points
The Spaniard’s pathetic attempt to fake a facial/head injury after being struck on the chest had no other intention but to fool the referee that there was more to Firmino’s push than he thought. Luckily, justice prevailed.
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