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Garth Crooks has slammed Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp for his touchline row with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta on Saturday. The former Manchester United star labeled the German tactician "the villain" in the incident.
Liverpool bounced back from their defeat to West Ham with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Arsenal on Saturday. Sadio Mane opened the scoring for the Reds in the first half after which Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah and Takumi Minamino got on the scoresheet.
Many believe the turning point in the game was when Klopp and Arteta got involved in a heated touchline row minutes before Mane's opener. The incident got the Anfield crowd going as Liverpool stepped things up and dominated Arsenal for the rest of the match.
Arteta expressed his discontent when Mane escaped a booking following a challenge on Takehiro Tomiyasu. Klopp, on the other hand, felt otherwise and went on to get himself involved in a touchline row with the Spaniard.
Looking back at the incident, former top flight star Crooks has blamed Liverpool manager Klopp for the row. The Englishman claimed that the Reds boss was "the villain" in the incident.
Crooks is also of the view that Klopp used the incident to the get the Anfield crowd going. He went on to label Liverpool forward Mane "the architect of the incident'. He said:
"I wondered what the touchline row was about with Mikel Arteta. It was clear from Klopp's post-match interview that he thought that Sadio Mane's challenge on Takehiro Tomiyasu was fair, but boy did he use the ensuing confrontation with Arteta to fuel the Anfield crowd. Liverpool were struggling until that moment and the only mistake Arteta made was getting involved with Klopp in the first place."
"The row ignited the crowd and Klopp knew it would. Mane, the architect of the incident with Tomiyasu, also took advantage of Anfield's rise in temperature with a well-taken goal and a glorious assist. But it was Klopp who was the villain here, not Arteta", Crooks wrote in his BBC Sport column.
Regardless of Crooks' thoughts, Klopp and Co will be delighted to have returned to winning ways with a 4-0 victory over Arsenal on Saturday.
Who do Liverpool and Arsenal face in their next game?
Having registered a win against Arsenal, Liverpool win now face FC Porto in the Champions League. Klopp will have the chance to rest key players as the Reds have already booked their place in the round of 16.
Arsenal, on the other hand, will be looking to bounce back from their defeat to Liverpool when face Newcastle United in the Premier League. The Gunners will host Eddie Howe's side at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
