Jurgen Klopp was not a happy man the last time Tottenham Hotspur were at Anfield.
Liverpool were denied a hard-earned victory when the visitors were awarded a controversial injury-time penalty to earn a 2-2 draw on an eventful afternoon.
Having admitted at full-time he would have to pay “the biggest fine in world football” if expressing his true feelings, more than 12 months on the Reds boss still can't quite fathom out some of the officiating.
Easier to understand, though, is Klopp's admiration for Harry Kane, the player who tucked away the spot kick on front of the Kop despite failing to convert an earlier Tottenham penalty at the same end.
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“You want to be the Golden Boot winner, so you cannot waste opportunities!” laughs Klopp when asked if Kane showed courage in stepping up again.
“But Harry Kane, what a striker. What a striker. I really like him. He's just a fantastic player. Sunday hopefully you won't see why I like him, but it's the truth.
“I respect how he came up. His career is fantastic. Going on loan, I think there's one picture where Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane are sat together on the bench at Leicester.
“I wouldn't want to be the coach at that moment!
“Harry did it the hard way. It's not like he came up at 18 years old as a talent. He had to do it the hard way, and he had to improve day by day. Difficult to play against him.”
Kane has scored in three of Tottenham's last four visits to Anfield as well as netting a double in Spurs 4-1 win at Wembley last season.
Indeed, his goal in the 1-1 draw in April 2016 earned him the rare honour of being an opposing player given a post-match hug from Klopp.
Liverpool managed to contain Kane when earning a 2-1 win against Tottenham earlier in the season, a result the Reds boss regards as his team's first real statement of title-challenging intent.
And with Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip expected to be up against Kane on Sunday, Klopp has a warning.
“One alone against Harry Kane is really difficult,” he says. “It's like always with world class strikers, you have to avoid the passes to him.
“If you defend them, then (Christian) Eriksen shoots from 50 yards or whatever or (Dele) Alli is in the box and makes a little header or (Heung-min) Son runs in behind.
“It's not just about Kane. But Harry is a really good striker.”
Tottenham were considered championship contenders as recently as last month until a return of just one point in four games that has left them 15 points behind Liverpool.
While winning a top-flight best 11 games on the road this season, Mauricio Pochettino's side have lost five of their last six away matches in all competition.
The one triumph, though, came in the Champions League at Borussia Dortmund, with Tottenham into the last eight where they will face City.
And Klopp has revealed why preparation for the latest showdown with the Londoners has been more pleasure than chore.
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“What a team,” he says. “We talk about Tottenham team... Goalie, outstanding. Full-backs, different opportunities, outstanding. Centre-backs, really fantastic.
“Midfield, not sure if (Harry) Winks is fit but what an outstanding young English player, you have Eriksen, you have Alli, you have Son, it's unbelievable that team.
“And if nothing works, you bring on (Erik) Lamela and everything changes again.
“Sometimes analysing is a joy, because I like good football. You watch Tottenham, and even if they didn't win their last few games, they always have good moments.
“It's easy to be at 100% because if they lose a game, you think 'how did that happen? How did they lose that game?' because they have had so many good moments.”
Klopp adds: “Poch is just a brilliant coach. I can understand why they were not that concerned that they were not that busy in the transfer market, because the team was really, really good already.
“Now they gain experience and all that stuff. It makes them a tough opponent.
“I didn't think a second about next season, so far I've had no capacity for that. But I think Tottenham won't be worse, for sure.”
