‘I have to touch a chair’: Klopp throws press conference strop (VIDEO)
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp accused Tottenham Hotspur of failing to provide enough hand sanitizer after the two teams played out an explosive draw in the Premier League on Sunday.
An incident-packed game in London ended 2-2 after a 74th-minute equalizer from Spurs forward Son Heung-min.
Klopp was left furious with referee Paul Tierney at the final whistle after Liverpool had several big decisions go again them, including a red card for defender Andy Robertson when Spurs star Harry Kane head earlier escaped a dismissal despite being guilty of a similarly nasty challenge.
The visitors also had a strong appeal for a penalty turned down in the first half when Diogo Jota tangled with Tottenham’s Emerson Royal.
🗣 "I have no problems with any referees. Only you." 😡Audio from Jurgen Klopp's confrontation with referee Paul Tierney after the game pic.twitter.com/jkcx4slwRk
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) December 19, 2021
After the result left Liverpool three points behind Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, Klopp’s mood was darkened by an apparent lack of sanitizer as he conducted his post-match press duties.
“I really think in this room there should be hand sanitizer,” the German said.
“I honestly think that would be good.
“You know, you had around about 30 [Covid] cases [at Tottenham], or whatever. I have to touch a chair.”
A coronavirus outbreak at Spurs had seen their past three matches canceled before they took on Liverpool, while the Reds were without four players on Sunday after midfielder Thiago Alcantara became the latest star to test positive.
Despite Klopp’s sanitizer strop, some journalists claimed Spurs do actually provide the facility and that the German must have missed it.
In fairness to #THFC, there IS hand sanitiser right by the door on the way in. #Klopp must have missed it... #LFC#TOTLIV
— Paul Brown (@pbsportswriter) December 19, 2021
Klopp has been vocal in promoting Covid vaccination among players, recently indicating that Liverpool would not considering signing anyone who was not fully jabbed.
The German described unvaccinated players as “a constant threat to us all.”
READ MORE: Unvaxxed players ‘constant threat to us all’ – Liverpool boss Klopp
The Premier League is due to hold an emergency meeting with clubs on Monday to discuss a potential break in the season after a host of outbreaks at teams led to six of the 10 scheduled matches over the weekend being postponed.
