Jurgen Klopp hit back at Ryan Mason after Liverpool beat Tottenham (Photo: Sky Sports)
Jurgen Klopp has hit back at Ryan Mason following the controversial end to Liverpool’s 4-3 win over Tottenham on Sunday.
The Reds raced into a 3-0 lead inside 15 minutes at Anfield before Spurs battled back to make the score level in injury time courtesy of Richarlison who scored his first Premier League goal for his club.
However, just 99 seconds later, Diogo Jota latched onto a poor back pass from Lucas Moura and scored the winning goal in the 94th minute to help Liverpool leapfrog Tottenham in the table.
But this left interim boss Mason furious as Jota ought to have been sent off earlier after kicking Oliver Skipp in the head, a foul that left the midfielder needing stitches.
The Portuguese forward admitted he made a mistake but believed the yellow card he received was the correct decision, and now his manager has gone one further, suggesting that Mason is a hypocrite as Skipp himself could have seen red for a foul on Luis Diaz.
‘I understand that. Ryan has to worry about other stuff,’ Klopp told BBC MOTD when asked if Jota should have been sent off.
‘They’re such a good football team Tottenham, they have to play better football. They can’t just counter-attack, they have to play better football with that team.
Should Diogo Jota have seen red for this foul on Oliver Skipp? (Photo: Getty)
‘Diogo Jota has the foot high but he’s not going for the head. I heard Oliver Skipp could’ve had a red card. Did he speak about that as well?
‘Wanting Diogo Jota off the pitch, worry about other stuff.’
It should be said that pundits analysing the game completely disagree with Klopp, with many believing that Jota should have seen red and Skipp’s foul was not a sending off offence.
In any case, Liverpool have now moved up to fifth in the league, but Klopp has conceded that his side will not be finishing in the top four with Manchester United in fourth seven points ahead with a game in hand.
United beat fellow top four rival Aston Villa 1-0 on Sunday, while third-placed Newcastle also won with a 3-1 comeback victory over Southampton.
Asked if the Reds could qualify for the Champions League, Klopp replied: ‘Of course not. If United and Newcastle wins all the games then how can we get there?
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‘If they start losing them we are close. Until then we have to win football games to qualify for Europe at all.
‘Brighton played one of the best football games this weekend I’ve ever seen in my life, I have to say, Roberto De Zerbi, wow. They are behind us with two games in hand.
‘Aston Villa are developing. If we can keep them behind us that will already be success.’
MORE : ‘Set up a direct debit to the fans!’ – Gary Neville slams Tottenham duo after loss at Liverpool
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‘Wanting Diogo Jota off the pitch, worry about other stuff.’