“I have no problems with any referees, only you…”
Jurgen Klopp was seen questioning referee Paul Tierney after his Liverpool side were held by Tottenham in an incident-packed 2-2 draw in London.
“I have no problem with any referees, only you,” a visibly frustrated Klopp could be heard saying to Tierney as he spoke to him on the pitch after full-time.
Liverpool fell behind to an early Harry Kane goal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but were level by half-time thanks to Diogo Jota’s headed equaliser.
Either side of that goal, two incidents angered Klopp. First, a studs-up challenge from Kane on Andy Robertson saw the England striker shown a yellow card. The VAR official decided it was not worthy of a second look. Then, shortly after scoring, Jota was brought down inside the area by a clumsy Emerson Royal challenge.
The Liverpool manager was booked by Tierney for his protests and was seen speaking with him in the tunnel as the players made their way out for the second half.
👀 Jurgen Klopp having a word with the referee in the tunnel before the second half after he lost his cool on the touchline pic.twitter.com/UU6RsXti3V
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) December 19, 2021
Incident-packed second half
The second half was not without incident either, with Spurs’ claims for a penalty on Dele Alli waved away. As play continued, Liverpool scored their second soon after through Robertson. The goal was allowed to stand despite the ball making contact with Mo Salah’s arm in the buildup.
Tottenham found an equaliser through Heung-min Son within minutes before Robertson was – after a VAR intervention – shown a red card for a wild kick at Emerson.
Jurgen Klopp was not happy with referee Paul Tierney after the game 😳 pic.twitter.com/QdJeZglaLK
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 19, 2021
‘It’s not the smartest challenge of his life’
Discussing the game’s key points with Sky Sports’ Geoff Shreeves, Klopp said:
“There were a lot of other things that were pretty influential in this game. Some of these questions, it’s probably better if you ask Mr Tierney what he thinks.”
Asked if he felt Kane should have received more than a yellow card for his challenge, he said:
“Yes definitely. You can give Robbo a red card – it’s not the smartest challenge of his life – but that [Kane’s challenge] is definitely a red card, no doubt about that.
“His leg was in the air but Harry can’t judge that. If his leg is on the ground, it’s a broken leg. No doubt about that.
“Another question: we have VAR sitting there. He thinks have another look at the Robertson situation – fine, that’s what he’s there for. What did he do in that [the Kane] situation?”
On the penalty situation with Jota, Klopp said: “Tierney told me he thinks Diogo stops on purpose because he wants the foul. First and foremost he wants to shoot. He cannot run and shoot in the same moment. It would always be helpful if people have played football yourself.
“But when you see the situation back and the VAR is there, where is he stopping? Two challenges against one player and the player’s down. I don’t understand it.”
Related links:
- Jurgen Klopp confronts referee in the tunnel after first-half decisions
- John Terry hits out at Piers Morgan for tweet on unvaccinated players
- Premier League reject Chelsea postponement request for Wolves game
