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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hits back at Jurgen Klopp for penalty rant
Speaking in the pre-match press conference (h/t Daily Mail), Ole Gunnar Solskjaer accused Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp of trying to influence referees through his ‘penalty’ jibe aimed at Manchester United.
Liverpool succumbed to a 1-0 defeat to Southampton on Monday night. The match featured a number of dubious calls where Liverpool could have had a penalty.
This prompted Jurgen Klopp to lash out in his post-match press conference, where he made a remark saying that Manchester United have gotten more penalties in the last two years than Liverpool in the last 5-and-a-half years.
United did get 22 penalties last season, which was the highest of any team in the top 5 leagues. But Liverpool have had 46 penalties to United’s 42 in the time frame that Klopp mentioned. (h/t Daily Mail)
When asked about Klopp’s remarks, Solskjaer referred to the infamous ‘facts‘ rant by Rafael Benitez back in 2009.
“That’s a fact, probably. That is probably going to be my answer.”
This was also not the first time a manager has had a go at United for getting too many penalties. Frank Lampard made a similar comment before his side’s 3-1 win against United in the 2020 FA Cup semi-final.
Solskjaer held Lampard’s pre-match comments responsible for the referee not awarding his team a penalty after a foul on Anthony Martial. He says that is aware that this could be a tactic to influence referees.
“… maybe it’s a way of influencing referees. When they foul our players it’s a penalty. It’s just when it’s inside the box..”
More Manchester United News:
- Rio Ferdinand urges Manchester United to sign Jack Grealish
- Manchester United look set to miss out on David Alaba, according to Jan Aage Fjortoft
- Solskjaer reveals why Manchester United appointed Darren Fletcher as a coach
United are level on points with Liverpool at the top of the Premier League, but with a game in hand. Avoiding defeat to Burnley on Tuesday will see the team replace Klopp’s men at the summit.
