Manuel Pellegrini has insisted that Jurgen Klopp is in no position to complain about referees’ decision-making, having been benefitted from officiating mistakes in the past.
The West Ham boss vented his frustration following last night’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool after officials failed to rule out Sadio Mane’s goal for offside.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp also attacked the referee’s performance, saying he had been affected by his assistant’s mistake in the build-up to Mane’s goal.
But Pellegrini insisted that Klopp has no right to complain, pointing specifically to Borussia Dortmund’s victory over Malaga in the 2013 Champions League quarter-finals.
Klopp’s Dortmund beat Pellegrini’s La Liga side 3-2 courtesy of a winner where three players were offside.
Pellegrini said after the 1-1 draw at the London Stadium: “Klopp is used to winning with offside goals. He beat me against Malaga with a goal seven metres offside. So he cannot complain about anything.”
Of Liverpool’s chances, he said: “They scored a goal one metre offside. In the last minute with Origi in front of the linesman, again one metre offside.”
The former Manchester City boss added: “I said in the week that we need to win this game for our fans and if we are going to give a hand to Manchester City, well, they are my club also. Maybe that was the reason the manager of Liverpool didn’t like it.”
