EPL 2022-23: Here's why Klopp has accused Brentford of 'stretching the rules' post Liverpool loss
By Ayush Gupta | First Published Jan 3, 2023, 1:02 PM ISTEPL 2022-23: Liverpool suffered a shocking 1-3 defeat to Brentford away from home on Monday night. Meanwhile, visiting boss Jurgen Klopp accused the hosts of "stretching the rules" besides lashing out at the referee for Bryan Mbeumo's goal.
English giants Liverpool's unstable season in the 2022-23 English Premier League (EPL) continued on Monday when it succumbed to a 1-3 failure to Brentford away from home. The flop has put visitors in the sixth, while the hosts have climbed to the seventh. It all began with Ibrahima Konaté's own goal in the 19th, putting the Bees ahead, followed by Yoane Wissa's header in the 42nd through Mathias Jensen's assist. While Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain pulled one back in the 50th via Trent Alexander-Arnold's assistance, Bryan Mbeumo scored the winner in the 84th. Meanwhile, The Reds head coach Jurgen Klopp hit out at referee Stuart Atwell for Brentford's winning goal, besides accusing the side of "stretching the rules".
"At the moment where you try to settle in a game, we concede a third goal which should have been disallowed. It's a full-throttle sprint from two players, and when you get a push at this moment, you lose balance and go down. It's a little situation in a little way, but Stuart Atwell saw it differently, and VAR [Video Assitant Referee], who checked it, they hid in these moments behind the phrase 'it's not clear and obvious'. So, the second goal decided the game, the third goal shouldn't have been allowed, and we should have played better," Klopp said post beating, reports 90min.
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However, Klopp was all praise for the Bees' manager Thomas Frank for doing a phenomenal job of late, stating, "When I say they stretch the rules on offensive set pieces, don't get me wrong, it's smart. But they do. If you single out all the situations, you would see five fouls. But because it's so chaotic, nobody sees it in the end. It's good. It's good."
When asked why Virgil van Dijk was substituted at half-time, Klopp concluded, "Hopefully not [an injury]. Virgil felt his muscle a little, and that is fine. He's a good judge of these kinds of things. But I didn't want to take any risk. The physios looked quite happy when I said we don't take risks. I think it's not an injury. It's just he felt the intensity."
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