Referee Paul Tierney has been told he could face Liverpool action due to “well known issues “

Paul Tierney’s long-running feud with Jurgen Klopp reached new heights during Liverpool’s 4-3 win against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, sparking a debate over whether the referee should be removed from Reds matches

John Aldridge has asked whether Paul Tierney should be banned from officiating Liverpool matches following another sticking point between the Premier League referee and Jurgen Klopp.

Tierney showed Klopp a yellow card in the dramatic closing minutes of Sunday’s rollercoaster 4-3 victory at home to Tottenham Hotspur. The Liverpool manager had celebrated in front of fourth official John Brooks when Diogo Jota grabbed all three points in the 94th minute. Klopp angrily claimed after the match that what Tierney had told him when he booked the German was “not right”.

The FA has now opened an investigation into the incident and is reviewing audio of the pair’s discussion, which PGMOL – the body responsible for top referees – has already said Tierney “acted in a professional manner”. Klopp, meanwhile, has been criticized for his “unacceptable” behavior, as attention once again turns to his longstanding feud with Tierney and the Reds manager’s constant antics. But club legend Aldridge seems to have a liking for him.

Aldridge complained about a series of phone calls that angered Klopp during Sunday’s back-and-forth affair, writing in his column for the Liverpool Echo: “I couldn’t believe some of the decisions made by Paul Tierney. It’s a well-known fact that we’ve struggled in games with Tierney in the past and it was no different when we beat Spurs at the weekend.”

The former Liverpool striker added: “I don’t know what the solution is with Tierney, if he could be taken out of our games at the moment. Liverpool could press charges but I don’t know how far they could go. Jurgen doesn’t really come out with the things he did after the game, so is there a problem for him being so emotional about it?

Klopp was certainly emotional after the last-second victory, telling Sky Sports when asked about the decisions in question: “We have our history with Tierney, I really don’t know what he has against us. He said there were no problems, but that can’t be true. How he looks at me, I do not understand.
Jurgen Klopp and Paul Tierney constantly disagree (Getty Images)

“In England nobody has to clarify these situations, it’s really tricky and difficult to understand. What he said to me when he gave me a yellow card is not fair.”

A statement issued in response to Klopp’s inflammatory comments read: “PGMOL is aware of the comments made by Jurgen Klopp following his team’s game against Tottenham Hotspur. Premier League match officials are registered at all matches through a system of communication.

“Having fully reviewed referee Paul Tierney’s audio from today’s match, we can confirm that he acted professionally throughout, including when cautioned by the Liverpool manager. As such, we strongly reject any suggestion that Tierney’s actions were inappropriate.”

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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp reveals what referee Paul Tierney told him – ‘I didn’t lie’

Jurgen Klopp has revealed what referee Paul Tierney told him when he was shown a yellow card at Anfield and insisted he ‘didn’t lie’.

The manager was widely criticized for his behavior during and after Liverpool’s 4-3 win over Tottenham.

Klopp celebrated Diogo Jota’s late winner against fourth official John Brooks before pointing out Tierney’s anti-Liverpool bias in his post-match interview and claiming he doesn’t know what the referee ” against us”.

“What he told me at the time when he gave me the yellow card is not correct,” he said, which PGMOL “strongly refuted” as Tierney acted “in professional way”.

Klopp would not reveal what the 42-year-old told him at the time, but as he faces charges from the FA he gave some insight on Tuesday.

He told reporters: “I was expecting a yellow card and he said to me, ‘It’s a red card for me, but it’s a yellow card because of [the fourth referee]’.”

“The whole situation shouldn’t have happened at all. That’s how it is,” Klopp said.

“It was out of emotion, out of anger at the time, not a very good leader for what you do. That’s why I partied while I partied.

“That was the situation, with the foul on Mo – no foul, but in my opinion it was right in front of my eyes.

“He called a free kick, another free kick, [Richarlison’s] goal and a minute later we scored.

“Unfortunately I was still a little angry. I didn’t say anything wrong, I just yelled “without you!” which didn’t make much sense. “I didn’t want to get close to [Brooks]. Then I felt my muscles. That’s all. Then we scored, then Paul Tierney came to me.

“I didn’t expect a red card at all. I didn’t think that [would have been] fair.

“I was expecting a yellow card and he said ‘for me it’s a red card, but because of [the fourth official it’s a yellow]’.

“He showed me a yellow card, he smiled at me, that’s all.

“The match continues, final whistle, we go inside, try to calm down, didn’t function properly, let’s go to interviews and I said what I said.”

Klopp’s response to questions about the situation was lengthy, with the manager also discussing his ‘history’ with Tierney, which dates back to 2017.

He suggested he ‘opened the box’ to the media with his post-match comments, and insisted, while he believes Tierney let down Liverpool in ‘decisive games’, that the official’ don’t do it intentionally.”

“The things that were made of what Paul Tierney told me, I didn’t say,” he continued. “What I said was ‘what he told me wasn’t right’. I didn’t think it was right because it wasn’t a red card in my eyes.

“Then things happened. I opened the box. It wasn’t supposed to be, but I opened it. “Then your colleague intervened and wanted me to continue. He said all those words and I stopped him there.

“Maybe I should have said at that time, ‘he told me it was a red card’.

“The things I said, the things I felt at that time about Paul Tierney whistling our games, I’m very sure he’s not doing it intentionally, but we have a history and I don’t can’t deny it.

“I’m not a resentful person, not at all, but obviously those kinds of things that have happened in the past, in decisive games for us – whether we were involved or not – have happened. “It’s the feeling, nothing else. That’s what I said.

“I obviously know the referees were very angry at what I said and are doing it now. I heard that I lied and stuff like that.

“I did a lot of things that day, but I wasn’t lying.”