It’s a unique and emotional season for Jurgen Klopp, who is in his last season as Liverpool’s manager. The German tactical genius announced earlier this season that he would be stepping down from his role as the club’s manager to take a sabbatical before deciding his next career move, which many believe to be a gig with a national team.
Jurgen Klopp may bow out in the best fashion possible, as Liverpool are in line for a quadruple. Jurgen Klopp witnessed an essential clash in that bid yesterday as Liverpool faced Manchester City in one of the season’s most thrilling games. He also pointed out how a decision went against the Reds.
Jurgen Klopp talks on Jermey Doku’s brutal foul on Alexis Mac Allister
Liverpool welcomed Manchester City to Anfield yesterday, and despite having several first-team stars injured, the Reds played one of their best games, dominating Manchester City all through the match, as they played out a 1-1 draw, giving Premier League fans worth their money.
Sadly, Liverpool thought they had the chance to see out the game in the dying minutes of the tie when Jeremy Doku clipped Alexis Mac Allister with a knee-high tackle in the box. However, no penalty was given, leading to widespread grunting in the stadium, and Jurgen Klopp revealed after the game that everyone on the Liverpool bench thought it was a clear penalty.
Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Klopp said: “It was 100 per cent a penalty. They will find an explanation. It was 100% a foul in all areas of the pitch and probably a yellow card. All the people with iPads around me were: ‘Wow, clear’. Maybe they can hide behind the phrase it is not clear and obvious. It is of course a penalty but we didn’t get it and that is fine. The most important thing for me is that we can play football like that. I saw so many sensational performances today.”
“Isn’t it [VAR] there for just making the right decision and not thinking about how high the bar is to overturn a decision? Anywhere else on the pitch that is a 100% foul, and it’s a yellow card. He hits the ball, and only because his foot is up here, he kicks him,” he added, as per Mirror.
“You will find people, like Mike Dean, is he working for Sky? Great appointment by the way but he and others will find something and all the others as well. It’s a penalty for all football people on the planet, if you don’t think so, maybe you’re not a football person.”
While Jurgen Klopp was disappointed his team didn’t get a penalty for the apparent foul, he admitted he was very happy with the way his team approached the game, which was the last time he’d be facing Pep Guardiola as a Liverpool manager, at least in the Premier League.
Why VAR rejected Liverpool’s penalty claims?
With Liverpool pressing high for a winner late in the game, Jeremy Doku raised his leg to attempt to win the ball from Mac Allister, who had the ball on his chest at the time. There was a ferocious protest in the stadium with Liverpool supporters and the bench calling for a penalty, which the VAR of course verified.
However, to everyone’s disappointment, the decision went against Liverpool, as Doku was adjudged to have played the ball first. In reality, while Doku touched the ball first, his leg was in a very unnatural position, as it was too high for both the ball and the player. He also ended up kicking Mac Allister in the chest despite getting the ball, which Klopp later highlighted in his post-match rant.
The game may have been marred by the last-minute controversy, but it was a great game to watch. From the first minute to the final whistle, Liverpool and Manchester City had arguably the game of the season so far, as their end-to-end kind of football offered fans a thrilling experience of classic Premier League action.
