Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp admits he hated having to substitute Sadio Mane

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admitted he hated having to substitute Sadio Mane at half-time of their 2-0 Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid but he feared the visitors’ gamesmanship would get the player sent off. Early goals from Diogo Jota and Mane were soon followed by a red card for Atleti defender Felipe and from that point the visitors tried every trick in the book to restore numerical parity. Mane had been targeted by the opposition from the off, much like in their last-16 meeting in Madrid in February 2020, and like on that occasion Klopp took the decision to minimise the risk by replacing the Senegal international at half-time.