The Toffees boss responded to Klopp’s “World Cup final” comments, and some Reds fans proceeded to mock him.
Ahead of Sunday’s Premier League Merseyside derby, the rhetoric between Everton boss Marco Silva and Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp seems to be hotting up.
Speaking ahead of last month’s goalless draw with Manchester United, the Reds manager appeared to suggest the upcoming derby meant more to the Toffees than his side.
“You have Everton, and we all know for them, it’s a kind of World Cup final,” Klopp was quoted by Sky Sports News as saying.
Rewinding the clock back to the first Merseyside derby of the 2018-19 season, Liverpool scored a 96th-minute winner, courtesy of Divock Origi’s point-blank header.
The Belgian striker capitalised on a miscued Jordan Pickford save, which itself came about as a result of a miscued Virgil van Dijk volley.
Klopp was charged with misconduct for running onto the pitch after the goal and, speaking ahead of Sunday’s clash, Silva said his counterpart’s celebrations suggested that the derby is important to them too.
“It is a special game for both, for the city also, for our fans a special match, for their fans also a special match,” the Portuguese is quoted by Sky Sports News as saying.
“I didn’t see a big difference. I managed my first Merseyside derby last December and what I felt was a special match for both teams. They celebrated that lucky goal – that lucky moment they had in the last seconds of the match – (like it) was the final of a World Cup for us and for them.”
Admittedly, Klopp did appear to backtrack on his earlier comments, telling his own pre-match presser: “We are Liverpool, we play against Everton and for us it is like a World Cup final as well.”
Nonetheless, some Reds fans enjoyed hitting back at Silva on Twitter after getting wind of his comments:
Liverpool’s recent record against Everton is impressive – according to 11v11, the Reds haven’t lost to the Toffees in 18 games over all competitions, not since October 2010.
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