The Liverpool manager was critical of the officiating during his side’s loss to Southampton
Jurgen Klopp will reportedly not be punished for comments made about the refereeing performance during Liverpool’s defeat to Southampton on Monday night.
A goal from Danny Ings inside the opening two minutes saw the Saints take maximum points over the Premier League champions, a result which means Manchester United will now have the chance to go above Liverpool if they avoid defeat in their game in hand against Burnley next week.
Klopp made it clear he felt his side should have been awarded a penalty for a challenge made by Kyle Walker-Peters on Sadio Mane, questioning referee Andre Marriner’s handling of the decision.
“What Andre Marriner did with Sadio Mane tonight, I’m not sure that’s okay, to be honest,” Klopp said after the game.
“The boy tried everything, had a few great challenges with Walker-Peters. But there were a lot of situations which should have been free-kicks. The last one, when he goes down, you see that back and in the box he hits him in the end with his left foot, that’s a penalty.”
The German also questioned the number of penalties awarded to United during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s time in charge compared to Liverpool.
“I hear now that Manchester United had more penalties in two years than I had in five-and-a-half years. I’ve no idea if that’s my fault, or how that can happen.”
Despite this, it has been reported that Klopp will face no action for his comments, meaning any slight chance of him receiving a touchline ban or fine can now be forgotten.
Liverpool return to league action when they host United at Anfield on January 17. Even at this early stage, it’s already shaping up to be a fixture which could have a big impact on the destination of this season’s Premier League title.
