9th October, 2023
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp played the role of peacemaker during a heated exchange between Brighton & Hove Albion boss Roberto de Zerbi and match officials in their 2-2 Premier League draw on Sunday.
The incident unfolded in the 69th minute at the Amex Stadium when De Zerbi was shown a yellow card by referee Anthony Taylor for protesting a denied penalty claim after Kaoru Mitoma’s shot struck the arm of Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk.
Despite receiving a booking, De Zerbi continued to remonstrate, prompting Klopp to intervene and attempt to calm the situation.
Klopp, who has had his own clashes with referees in the past, shared his perspective with reporters.
“In the moment when he got a bit outraged, I used my age and tried to calm him down,” said the 56-year-old Liverpool manager.
“I just saw that if I am in a moment like this, there’s a moment of no going back that appears.”
“I think he was close to that, and then I tried to calm him down. I am not sure if he needed it or not; you can ask him, but he probably told me something about the penalty, but I had no clue what he was talking about. I think he wanted a penalty.”
In response, De Zerbi acknowledged his respect for Klopp, stating, “I love Klopp, and he can do what he wants because I have big respect for him and I consider him one of the best coaches in the world.”
Regarding the penalty incident, De Zerbi explained, “I like his behaviour, and when he says something, 99 percent of the time, I agree with him. In that situation, I think there was a clear penalty. I told the referee, I think in a good way, what I thought.”