Reds boss told to cool down by police

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp reacting angrily to Jeremain Lens' tackle on Mamadou Sakho. The German is adamant that Lens should have seen red instead of the yellow that referee Kevin Friend brandished.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp reacting angrily to Jeremain Lens' tackle on Mamadou Sakho. The German is adamant that Lens should have seen red instead of the yellow that referee Kevin Friend brandished. PHOTO: REUTERS

LONDON • Juergen Klopp was instructed to calm down by a police officer after trading insults with Sam Allardyce and his backroom staff in the wake of Jeremain Lens' nasty second-half tackle on Mamadou Sakho at the Stadium of Light.

Christian Benteke had already scored the only goal of the game when Lens made a challenge Klopp believed merited a sending off.

In the event, the referee brandished only a yellow card but Klopp was making no apologies for a tirade of what Sam Allardyce described as "foul and abusive language".

Although the two managers and their staff shook hands as amicability was fully restored at the final whistle, Allardyce subsequently dubbed Klopp "a soft German" and was adamant Kevin Friend had been correct to settle for a booking.

Liverpool's manager was making no apologies.

"I am not too sorry," Klopp said.

"Please, it was a foul. Of course, I was angry. For me, that is a red card, finished. So my staff were emotional, the staff of Sunderland were emotional, but if you look on your ticket, that is included. If nothing happens on the pitch, you can watch the bench. But it is over and Mamadou Sakho is OK."

His opposite number, however, lost Jack Rodwell and Sebastian Coates to injury during the game.

To add insult to injury, Allardyce had to cope with a fifth-successive defeat.

"I think we were matching Liverpool in the first half," he said.

"Then they got a stroke of luck, we got kicked in the you-know-what and it took us a while to recover.

"Adam Lallana was just trying to control the ball and it ran into Benteke's path. In the end our anxiety in the final third let us down. We didn't produce but we have got to keep going."

THE GUARDIAN

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 01, 2016, with the headline Reds boss told to cool down by police. Subscribe