Jurgen Klopp was not ecstatic after the 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford. The Liverpool manager wasn’t pleased with Manchester United using long ball tactics towards the dying minutes of the game.
Liverpool had actually taken the lead against their fierce rivals thanks to James Milner’s first-half penalty. The Reds did have a few good chances to increase the lead but United were always in the game and ramped up the pressure in the second half.
The goal came via a header from Zlatan Ibrahimovic but Marouane Fellaini played a big part in the latter half of the game as his heading ability and aerial prowess were used well by the United team.
The German manager was unhappy with the way his side conceded late in the game and pointed out United’s game plan.
Speaking to BBC Sport, the former Borussia Dortmund manager said:
“We needed to be brave. We created the spaces we wanted, we scored the goal.
“In the end period of the game when United started playing long balls – (to) Marouane Fellaini and Zlatan Ibrahimovic – after 80 minutes (of) high intense football, it is really hard.
“I hoped we would have a bit of luck. Unfortunately not, but all good.”
The manager did state that the game was a bit of a wild one but was unhappy that they couldn’t pick up the three points.
“(On Monday) I can enjoy the result, but (on Sunday night) only the performance.
“It is so intense. They play long balls, it was a wild game. There was a lot of action in the last few minutes.
“We were here to win the game, which is why we are not 100 per cent satisfied.”
Draw leaves both sides wanting more
The draw didn’t help either side as Liverpool now dropped to third in the league standings, seven points behind Chelsea while Manchester United are 12 points behind the Blues.
The tension certainly was in the air as both Jose Mourinho and Klopp clashed late in the game when Roberto Firmino pushed Ander Herrera as the Spaniard tugged his shirt. It was believed that Mourinho wanted Firmino to be sent off and that led to the clash but both managers played down the incident.
Mourinho stated, “He (Klopp) thought I was asking for his player to be sent off. I wasn’t. There was no problem at all.”
Klopp added: “He (Mourinho) wanted the minimum of a yellow card.”
Liverpool will hope for a better performance in their next game which is the FA Cup third round replay against Plymouth and hopefully, a win against the lower league side will help them get better during the final few games of the season.
