Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has called for relations between his side and Manchester City to cool down following the fallout of Sunday's fiery clash between the teams.
The two rivals met at Anfield in the Premier League, with the hosts winning thanks to Mohamed Salah 's second-half strike. Tempers flared throughout the game, with Klopp sent off by referee Anthony Taylor towards the end of the match and Pep Guardiola alleging coins had been thrown at him.
Ahead of the clash, Klopp had also insisted that "nobody can compete" with City and their financial backing from the Abu Dhabi state. Following the ill-tempered clash at Anfield, The Times have reported that some at City believe those comments were 'borderline xenophobic'.
Klopp has now hit back at that suggestion, insisting that his words have been 'misinterpreted'. And the German also believes that relations with City should go back to normal despite the bitter fallout from Liverpool's win.
"This kind of question I would like not to answer. Everything a non-native English speaker would say would be open to misinterpretation," the Reds boss said when asked to respond to the suggestions he had been xenophobic.
"It should not [detract from result]. We don't have to be best friends but I am sure anyone wants to be with us. It's normal competition. It started here with the question, I answered, the rest was made of it.
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"I said I respect what they are doing but my answer was still not right to some people. If a guy throws a coin it's a massive mistake. It was a brilliant performance against incredibly strong side. I saw situations I didn't want to see in a football game.
"After the game all the talk is of what I said and what people made of it. That should not be the case but I can't change that. It's not the first time [people] have misunderstood [me]. I have to be careful, I've known that for years, sometimes I am not and say what I think. Usually it's never my aim to [criticise] or whatever. I say what I know and how I see it."
Following his sending off, Klopp has now been formally charged by the Football Association for improper conduct. He has until Friday to respond to the charge, with his sending off coming after he angrily protested the failure to award a free-kick to Salah after a tussle with Bernardo Silva.
“Jurgen Klopp has been charged with a breach of FA Rule E3 following the Premier League game between Liverpool and Manchester City on Sunday. It is alleged that the Liverpool manager’s behaviour during the 86th minute of this game was improper and he has until Friday to provide a response,” an FA statement read.
Liverpool host West Ham on Wednesday night and can move into the top five with a win. Klopp will be on the sidelines for that game, but could soon be banished to the stands for a period.
