Rio Ferdinand has defended his "small club" comments on Liverpool following their defeat to Bournemouth, claiming they were "tongue-in-cheek".
Jurgen Klopp's side slumped to their seventh away disappointment in the Premier League this season after Philip Billing's first-half goal ended their unbeaten run. As a result, they fell behind in the race for Champions League qualification as Tottenham Hotspur strengthened their grip on fourth place with Newcastle United applying further pressure on Sunday.
The surprise defeat on Saturday saw the Reds dragged down to earth following their emphatic 7-0 win over Manchester United. And following the result, the former United defender wasted no time in taking aim at his former foes.
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"The way Souness and Carragher were celebrating, the way they were trying to antagonise the guys [Roy Keane and Gary Neville], and then their team goes and does that at the weekend," Ferdinand aimed on his Vibe With Five Podcast. "They should be ashamed of themselves."
However, on Tuesday morning, he was quick to defend his comments in a bid for peace with Liverpool fans who were irritated by his comments.
"Liverpool fans stop tweeting me with anger… it was tongue in cheek ffs!
"Altho (sic) @Carra23 [Jamie Carragher] was antagonising Nev [Gary Neville] & Keano [Roy Keane]," he said in response to their analysis of Liverpool's win over the Red Devils when Graeme Souness was alongside the former Reds defender for Sky Sports.
Carragher, who too has been critical of the Reds in recent days, saw the funny side to Ferdinand's comments.
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