Jurgen Klopp compares Liverpool’s penalty shootout record to Man Utd after champions denied two shots from the spot in Southampton | Football news

Jurgen Klopp stoked the fire ahead of Manchester United’s trip to Anfield next weekend by comparing penalty records after Liverpool were denied two shots from the spot in Monday’s loss at Southampton.

Danny Ings ‘impressive second-minute goal against his former club ended Liverpool’s 12-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League, as the champions’ winless streak was extended to three matches.

Klopp was aggrieved that his team did not receive either of the two second-half penalty appeals, with a Kyle Walker-Peters tackle on Sadio Mane and a Jack Stephens hand while blocking a Georginio Wijnaldum shot that went unpunished by the referee. Andre Marriner.

Liverpool continue to lead Manchester United in goal difference despite suffering a second league defeat of the season, but the champions could be replaced as the absolute leaders of the Premier League by the time they welcome their rivals to Anfield. January 17 – Live Sky sports – if United avoids defeat in their hand game against Burnley.

And it seems that the mind games have already begun before the delicious clash at the top of the table, with Klopp questioning the refereeing in recent seasons, saying that United “had more penalties in two years than I have in five and a half years” .

“If someone says again that Sadio Mane is a ‘diver’, it is the biggest joke in the world,” Klopp said. Sky Sports. “This guy tries to stay on his feet with everything he has. In two situations … other teams will receive a penalty for that, let me put it that way. Then handball, I don’t know who will explain it to me.”

Speaking at his post-match press conference, Klopp added: “We had a very good view [the Mane incident], and it looked like a clear penalty. I turned to the fourth official and asked him if they were going to review it, he told me that it had already been and was not a penalty. That’s 100% true, and now someone wants to tell me how fast they made it through all these different angles.

“Last year, there was a penalty against Leicester when people said Sadio Mane falls too easily, if he falls easily we would have had a penalty in this game and in the last game, a penalty on the stone wall, but he did. that Andre Marriner did with Sadio Mane, I’m not sure if it’s okay.

“The boy tried everything, he had some great challenges with Walker-Peters, but there were many situations that should have been free throws. The last one, when he falls, you see that he comes back and in the area he hits the end with his left foot. , that’s a penalty.

“We can’t change. I hear now that Manchester United took more penalties in two years than I have in five and a half years. I have no idea if that’s my fault, or how it can happen.

“But it is not an excuse for performance. We cannot change it, we have to respect decisions. But we can change our performance. That is our focus now.”

Carra: Mane initiated contact with Walker-Peters

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher disagreed with his former club manager, saying that Mane had contacted Walker-Peters when the two teamed up, rather than the other way around.

Carragher said: “I think Mane kicks the back of Walker-Peters’ calf. So that’s where it could be a penalty, that side, but it’s not. Mane hits him on the back.

“When you only see the other angle, it lets him into the area, when you see that the right foot crosses Walker-Peters, he launches himself towards the ball with him. Normally, when you see that, he is someone who crosses to win the ball. , they don’t get it and they take the foot, or the attacker goes over, the slack leg, I’ve always called it.

“I’ve always said that’s not diving in, if someone puts up a silly challenge, and you step over that foot if it’s there. If that foot crosses over, maybe in this area, and Mane hits it, that’s a penalty. But when he really does that challenge, you see that his right foot is planted on the ground.

“He doesn’t go far enough to do the challenge, he kind of withdraws from the challenge, and as we saw in the previous one, it’s a case where Mane kicks his calf halfway, so I don’t think it was a penalty.”

Klopp: Liverpool endures ‘rusty’ moment

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Liverpool’s recent scramble for form has seen them draw at home to West Brom, threatened by relegation, and out at Newcastle before their latest loss on the south coast, and Klopp labeled his team “rusty” after having worst start at St. Mary’s. .

“The slow start cost us, that made life enormously difficult tonight,” he said. “All of these things can happen; we are human beings. So good on set-piece [for Ings’ goal was] We knew they could do it and the player who missed the ball, and then the next one was a great shot, but we could have defended it.

“This was a pretty rusty moment; we have to admit it. You can only solve a problem if you know the problem, and we are not blind to our problems. We have to fight and play through this, it’s up to us to change that one.”

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Tearful Hasenhuttl: A Perfect Start to 2021

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By contrast, Southampton coach Ralph Hasenhuttl fell to his knees in tears after snapping a six-game losing streak and taking points away from Liverpool for the first time.

“I’ve never scored points against Jurgen until now, I think I started to believe that we could do it in the 92nd minute, not before,” he said. “You never know, they are so strong up front and you always think something might happen.

“The way we defended today was incredible, I think the effort that the guys put in, everyone, was the key to winning. The mentality was maybe even better than against most teams.

“It’s a perfect start to 2021. Nobody expected to score points against them today, we have 29, we are on track and let’s move on. It was an important step forward.”