Jurgen Klopp has revealed details of his discussion with Man United’s Bruno Fernandes following Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford.
The Portugal international took the captain’s armband in place of Harry Maguire and produced one of his most energetic performances. Fernandes was everywhere, pressing and harrying Liverpool’s midfield throughout the game.
He led his side by example as Man United looked completely transformed in comparison to last weekend’s disaster at Brentford. In the match, the Red Devils took a deserved lead thanks to a composed Jadon Sancho finish around the 15-minute mark. They went into the break 1-0 up as a result.
United then doubled their advantage less than ten minutes into the second half. Marcus Rashford just stayed onside before slotting home from an Anthony Martial through ball.
An underwhelming Liverpool did grab a goal back thanks to a Mohamed Salah header, but United held on to take a well-earned 2-1 win.
Meanwhile, in a typically intense affair, Fernandes was fully in the mix at every opportunity. Unfortunately, he also showed off his cynical side, receiving a booking for a blatant dive.
Just minutes later, the midfielder could have seen a second yellow. When Liverpool scored, Bruno held onto the ball, despite attempts from Salah and Firmino to collect it, to try and waste time. Referee Michael Oliver decided to not punish him, though.
After the match, cameras spotted Jurgen Klopp and Bruno Fernandes in an animated discussion. In his post-match press conference, the Liverpool boss elaborated on the conversation between the pair.
Jurgen Klopp reveals Fernandes discussion details
Firstly, Klopp played down any idea of an angry confrontation between himself and Fernandes.
“It was not animated, it was the most harmless conversation I ever had with a player, who was obviously as emotional as I was,” said Klopp, via the Daily Mirror. “It was the situation with Martinez. He went down under an ‘awful’ tackle that was obviously nothing.”
The Liverpool manager is referring to another incident where United tried to chew some time off the clock. In this instance, Fabio Carvalho pushed Lisandro Martinez as the defender shielded the ball out for a goal kick. Martinez emphasised this to the referee, throwing himself to the ground and requiring time to get back up.
“He [Fernandes] made a bit of it, and he was talking to me and saying, “You’d do the same”. But it was fine after. He told me he needs these kinds of conversations. Okay, it’s fine, use me!”
The German also played down concerns about Liverpool’s performance, too.
Klopp on Liverpool loss
Speaking to Sky Sports, Jurgen Klopp believes that his Liverpool side should have won if they had played a little better.
“They were really aggressive in the beginning. It was absolutely clear what would happen,” he said. “Then they scored the goal, and we took over. We played the game we wanted to play, more or less.
“Conceding the second one doesn’t help,” Klopp continued. “And then we score ours. Then it’s a hectic game, with a lot of interruptions – and not the result we wanted. Maybe they were sharper. That’s not right, of course. But, when we calmed down, we were there.
“Even with our situation, but playing a little bit better, if we were a little more convinced about what we do, we should’ve won this game. I know it sounds ridiculous, but that’s how I see it.”
Klopp’s side will hope for a return to form when they host Bournemouth on Saturday. Meanwhile, United will search for their second win of the season at Southampton in the lunchtime kick-off.
Featured Image Credit: Sky Sports