LATE WINNER Jurgen Klopp responds to Jose Mourinho's snipes as Liverpool sneak past Tottenham
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was bemused by a verbal attack by Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho after Roberto Firmino earned his side a dramatic 2-1 win at Anfield.
Spurs had chances to end Liverpool's long unbeaten Premier League record on home soil, but Harry Kane missed a sitter before he allowed Firmino to find space in the box and head home a 90th minute clincher.
Mohamed Salah's deflected first half show and Son Heung-min's equaliser set the game up for a thrilling second half, with Liverpool finding a way to win as the clock ticked towards the 90th minute.
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The game finished with Mourinho exchanging words with Klopp on the touchline, with the Spurs boss accusing his rival of what he considered to be "bad behavior" on the touchline.
"If I behave the same way he does on the touchline, I do not stay there. That's animated? For some reason I am different. That is the only thing I say," stated Mourinho.
"Everything is fine between us. The referees let him behave the way he does. It's not my problem. I feel sad for it because I can not do it but it's just the way it is."
"I told him (Klopp) the best team lost and he disagreed, but that's his opinion.
"We were in the face of the keeper two or three times and we just have to kill it. Bergwijn was face-to-face with the keeper twice, Harry was there with the header, we had it, we knew how to hurt them and we should do much more than we did.
"Normally in matches at this level you pay and I thought we would pay just taking a point but in the end we didn’t even take a point so it is very disappointing.
"Sometimes you cannot play better than you did because of the opponent and I thought in such a difficult game against such a good team the boys were very good and we got punished."
"We deserved to win"
— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) December 16, 2020
🗣ï¸ Jose Mourinho joins us to discuss Tottenham's defeat and Jurgen Klopp.
📲 Listen live on the free @BBCSounds app: https://t.co/NI1sjtGRxI#LIVTOT #bbcfootball pic.twitter.com/j8OEaJxBei
Klopp admitted he was confused by Mourinho's accusations, as he offered up his verdict on a big win for his champions.
"I don't know what he means," stated Klopp, when the suggestion that his behaviour on the touchline was questionable.
"My English is worse than I thought. I thought he said to me the better team lost and nothing about my behaviour on the touchline, so I have no idea what it is.
"It was a good game against a counter-attacking monster, the possession we had we did incredibly well. Yes they have scored a goal, had two chances, apart from that we controlled the game and it is a massively deserved three points and I am happy.
"For me, it is offside on their goal. They watch it 20 times, but when I saw it, it is offside. There is nobody to blame, the best way to defend Tottenham is to keep the ball all the time.
"It was just a really good game and I am so happy we scored that goal because it felt like 70% of the ball against a top side. Bobby (Firmino), what a header, I am over the moon for him. What a game he played, those movements, he opens up all the other gaps."
Klopp also heaped the praise on young centre back Rhys Williams when asked about his performance by Amazon Prime Sport pundit Alan Shearer.
"Oh my god! Outstanding, outstanding. Come on, Rhys Williams you can imagine, it’s like the modern-day Alan Shearer he played against, Harry Kane," he added.
"He is so smart, dropping in the right moments. Second half they only played long balls and actually avoided Rhys.
"For a 19-year-old boy you don’t have to explain to other people how it works, but you have to be confident.
“Apart from that, he just kept it simple. Super challenges, but also interceptions in the centre when they tried to create counter-attacks, he didn’t drop too early so he won these balls. Absolutely incredible game, I have to say."
Meanwhile, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson hailed his side's performance as the best of their season so far.
"It was a good game, very tactical, probably what you expect in terms of us dominating with the ball, creating chances and getting done on the counter. Overall the performance was outstanding," he said.
"We concentrate on keeping going until the final whistle goes. I am delighted with the lads. We deserved the three points. One of our best performances of the season.
"We focus on ourselves. It might give them a dent but it is more about us. Our focus has to be on the weekend against Palace.
"I would say it was one of our best performances of the season, personally. With the ball, without the ball, the counter-press was really good, winning the ball back high up, relentless with the pressure. I’m over the moon, as you can see."
Additional reporting by: Jack Ingleby
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