Jurgen Klopp has revealed that he spoke to Pep Guardiola on the phone in the immediate aftermath of his side's Champions League victory over Tottenham on June 1.
Goals by Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi gave the Reds the win and provided Klopp with his first trophy as manager of Liverpool .
And speaking to Goal Klopp revealed his managerial rival Guardiola was amongst the first to get in contact to congratulate him on the win.
Klopp said he was handed the phone by Lee Nobes, the head physio who Liverpool had poached from City last November.
“There was just a lot of respect,” Klopp says. “I don’t know who called who, but Lee obviously worked with him at City. It was nice, a nice moment.
“We talked about what a great season it was, we had a few jokes. We were both obviously in a good mood!”
Klopp added there was no ill feeling between the two coaches over their title battle last season, and that their relationship lacks the animosity that has been present in previous title challengers such as between Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.
“I don’t need this kind of ‘battle’ on the sideline,” Klopp said. “I don’t need this very negative kind of emotion when I see my colleague a few yards away. I can still want to win the game with all I have without having all that.
“Of course it’s different in the games, because we are both very competitive. At that point, I am not too concerned with how our relationship can improve! For 90 minutes, my focus is somewhere else.
“But it’s a very respectful relationship. We don’t have contact all of the time, apart from when we play each other - or if he calls our physio in the dressing room and I can get the phone! Apart from that, it’s all good.”
The two teams will renew rivalries when they play each other in the Community Shield on Sunday at Wembley,
