Klopp sees red as Liverpool take a Swan dive
Jurgen Klopp has expressed regret after reacting angrily to a Swansea supporter during Liverpool’s shock 1-0 defeat at the Liberty Stadium.
Alfie Mawson swept home Swansea’s 40th-minute English football Premier League winner following a poor headed clearance from Liverpool’s record signing Virgil van Dijk.
Liverpool almost rescued a point when Roberto Firmino’s header struck a post in stoppage time.
Liverpool had 19 shots on goal to Swansea’s three. “If you put a Formula One (car) in London at 4 o’clock in the traffic, the Formula One [car] will not run very fast like it should,” Swansea manager Carlos Carvalhal said. “It was exactly what we should do to play Liverpool — put them to play the way they don’t like.”
It was a miserable night for Klopp who was involved in an angry exchange of words with a Swansea fan in the second half.
“He was shouting at me all the time and I reacted once,” Liverpool manager Klopp said.
“I must remind myself I’m a human being and not just a professional manager who takes that all the time.
“They can say whatever they want, at one point I turned to him and said, ‘Please!’
“It was only one moment when I had enough, it wasn’t to do with the fact we were 1-0 down. I’m sure I am not the first manager who has had a problem with him there, he must be a season ticket-holder. It was my fault as well. I should not react, but I didn’t say anything bad. I just showed I wasn’t happy about what he was saying.”
Liverpool lost valuable ground on second placed Manchester United and Chelsea in third with a first defeat in 15 league games. They are now six points behind United and three adrift of Chelsea.
“I’m more frustrated with the performance than the result,” Klopp said.