Jurgen Klopp lifts lid on Liverpool dressing room row that sparked famous comeback

Jurgen Klopp has revealed he had to deal with an argument between two of his players during Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Aston Villa during the club’s Premier League title-winning season.

Goals from Andy Robertson and Sadio Mane saw the Reds come back to level at Villa Park after Mahmoud Trézéguet opened the scoring for the hosts. The match is widely regarded as one of the key moments which helped the club win the club’s first league title in 30 years in 2019/20, with Liverpool going on to beat champions Manchester City 3-1 at Anfield the following week .

But Klopp has now revealed he had to ease some tensions in the dressing room at half-time before his side staged their famous comeback. “A really special game where we won 2-1,” the German said ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Villa on Monday evening.

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“At halftime we had a little situation in the locker room. We were able to calm it down and we turned the game around, which was really special. That’s what happens when you try absolutely everything.

“When everything is on the limit and these kinds of things can happen. We scored two really special goals. Sadio with his head where the foot was there and (his) head was there. It was really dangerous. The boys did it It was a really great feeling after the match.”

Asked how the locker room argument unfolded, Klopp added: “Little argument between two players. But I won’t give you the names! It wasn’t a problem, it was just a situation. This group of players was really special. It meant a lot, but things can happen when you work together for a long time.

And it seems the discontent within Liverpool’s ranks has been noticed by opposition players. Speaking after the November 2019 match, Villa midfielder John McGinn said: “A lot of their players were arguing and you could see they were uncomfortable in the first half.

“When teams start arguing, you usually know you’ve got them, but at the same time you have to respect the fact that they’re such a good team, they regroup, get together and go again. Unfortunately for us, they did that.”

Liverpool travel to Villa Park again on Monday evening where they hope to extend their advantage over Unai Emery’s chasing top four and mark Klopp’s final away game at the club with a victory.