‘I heard’ - Jurgen Klopp responds to Gary Neville’s ‘aggressive’ Liverpool claim

Jurgen Klopp believes the statement that Liverpool released against the backdrop of the VAR controversy they were on the end of in their loss to Tottenham Hotspur was ‘completely normal’.

The Reds had a goal wrongly disallowed in the 2-1 defeat last weekend. Luis Diaz’s strike in the first half was ruled offside despite clearly being in a legal position and VAR referee Darren England failed to overturn the decision. England thought that Diaz had been onside and only checked the incident swiftly - and realised his error after the game restarted.

Klopp’s reaction after the encounter was widely praised for the dignity he showed. The following evening, Liverpool put out a statement that they would ‘explore the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution’. The Reds boss has since called for the game to be replayed but continued to have sympathy for the officials.

Gary Neville claimed that Liverpool’s statement was a mistake, citing it was ‘vague and aggressive’. However, Klopp defended the Reds’ decision. Speaking ahead of tonight’s Europa League clash against Royal Union Saint-Gilloise at Anfield, he said: “My English is not good enough. For me, it was a completely normal statement. I heard some people thought it was aggressive.

“Of course we speak, we have other people at the club who put that together then the club goes for it and is doing the things that we have to do. The word escalation didn't come from me, I don't exactly know what it means. I know what it means but wouldn't have put it in a letter so that's it.”