Jurgen Klopp says there is no reason for Liverpool and Manchester City to be "best friends" after tensions ignited at the weekend.
Liverpool manager Klopp insisted he did not mean to inflame the rivalry between the clubs by referencing the wealth of Premier League champions City ahead of their game on Sunday, in which his team snatched a 1-0 win.
"There are three clubs in world football who can do what they want financially," Klopp said, two days ahead of the City clash.
That has been widely taken as a reference to City, Newcastle United and Paris Saint-Germain, each with wealthy Middle East owners.
City were reported to have considered the comments from Klopp to be almost xenophobic, and the Anfield tussle between the teams became an explosive affair, with Klopp sent off after snapping at assistant referee Gary Beswick.
There was trouble in the stands, too, with Pep Guardiola pelted with coins, while a number of City fans sang offensive songs about the Hillsborough and Heysel stadium disasters.
"I'm not sure we have to be best friends with other clubs, to be honest," Klopp said in a press conference on Tuesday.
"I don't think anybody wants to be best friends with us. I never heard about that at least. It's a completely normal competition.
"But apart from that, it started here with a question and I answered it, and all the rest was made of it.
"I know what I thought when I said it. I thought I had put it all in perspective and said how much I respect all that they are doing, and obviously it was still not right for some.
"But the most important thing, as a club and as a team together with our supporters, we showed an incredible performance on Sunday."
Klopp added: "It's not the first time I've been misunderstood."
He said supporters would be held to account if they stepped out of line. As well as incidents in the stadium, City complained their team bus was attacked as it left Anfield.
"If something happens, if one guy throws a coin, it's one fan and it's a massive mistake, definitely, and will get punished," Klopp said. "And after the game, if something happens, it's one supporter or maybe two supporters and not all of them."
Liverpool host David Moyes' West Ham on Wednesday, looking to back up what Klopp called a "massive" win over City, which came after a rocky start to the season for the Reds.
They remain 14 points behind leaders Arsenal, albeit with a game in hand, so Klopp says the Hammers clash is another huge fixture.
"We're at the moment in the season when you realise from now on they're all finals," Klopp said. "I'm not sure you can give games more importance than we already put in. It's very important absolutely.
"We respect them a lot. They've caused us a lot of problems here and there as well. David is doing an incredible job."
Liverpool agree compensation deal for Slot
Liverpool and Feyenoord have reached an agreement in principle over a compensation deal for Arne Slot to become the Reds’ manager next season, according to widespread Dutch media reports.
The Dutchman is reportedly poised to take over from Jurgen Klopp, who announced in January that he would be leaving the club at the end of the campaign.
Slot led Feyenoord to their second Eredivisie title last season after taking over the club in 2021.
It is believed that he topped the list of Liverpool’s favoured candidates due to his attacking playing style and ability to develop players.
Former Liverpool midfielder, Xabi Alonso, who led Bayer Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title, and Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim were also reported contenders to take over from Klopp.
Slot had already confirmed his interest in managing in the Premier League, both earlier this week and previously when he was linked to Tottenham in 2023.
QPR 4-0 Leeds United: Shock loss for Farke's men seals Leicester's promotion
QPR thrashed Leeds United 4-0 in the Championship on Friday, ensuring Leicester City booked their promotion straight back to the Premier League.
Ilias Chair was the star for the Hoops as he scored the opener and assisted two more goals to ensure QPR will stay in the Championship for another season.
Lucas Andersen, Lyndon Dykes and Sam Field also got their names on the scoresheet in an emphatic win for Marti Cifuentes' side.
Leeds' heaviest defeat of the season was a huge blow in the race for an automatic promotion spot, with Ipswich Town just one point behind them in third place with two games in hand going into their away clash against Hull City on Saturday.
‘We can’t control the Opta supercomputer’ – Eidevall says Arsenal’s destiny is in their own hands
Jonas Eidevall insists Arsenal are still focused on their title push despite being given a 0 per cent chance of winning the Women’s Super League by the Opta supercomputer.
The Gunners sit in third place ahead of Sunday’s match against Everton and are six points behind leaders Manchester City.
Chelsea occupy second place, three points ahead of Arsenal, but with a game in hand on the teams around them.
Asked if he thought his side could do something special despite the Opta supercomputer’s prediction, Eidevall did not rule his team out of the race.
He said: “It's about for us focusing on what we can control.
"The Opta supercomputer is definitely one of the things that we can't control. So, they can make their calculations, but we have to focus on our performances.”
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