Klopp in 'big trouble' as PGMOL denies Klopp's accusations against Tierney
Former Liverpool player Dean Saunders insists Jurgen Klopp could be in "huge trouble" following his comments about referee Paul Tierney following the Spurs win.
"I used to be a manager and it goes on and you believe some referees don't like you. Jurgen Klopp believes Paul Tierney doesn't like him," he told TalkSport.
"I don't think that's true and I think once you start questioning the referee's honesty, you're in big trouble. He's in big trouble because of what he said."
Speaking after the game, the Liverpool manager accused the referee of saying something inappropriate to him but refused to reveal exactly what was said. PGMOL has reviewed the case and said it supports Tierney.
"We can confirm that he acted professionally throughout, including when alerting the Liverpool manager, therefore we strongly reject any suggestion that his actions Tierney is inappropriate," their statement read.
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The brilliant unbeaten run is over, Villa's challenge now is to start another straight away.
Do it and the hopes of European football, dashed but not dashed by yesterday's defeat to Manchester United, can still come true.
The impatience after the first defeat since 18 February increased less than an hour after the final whistle as Tottenham suffered their most recent slump. At one point, Villa almost took the lead over Spurs on goal difference when the goals came early at Anfield. Even the London club's late return - and collapse again - serves as a reminder that every team in the race is vulnerable. A race that begins with Saturday's trip to Wolves and is followed by games against Tottenham, Liverpool and Brighton means things remain the same for Villa.
"We have to win our games," said Unai Emery rather casually.
It won't be easy, but no one, not even the head coach, who has worked hard to make the dream come true, has ever suggested the opposite.
Villa will have to be better than when they were here, although Emery carefully weighed in his post-match briefing between expressing disappointment with the result and his optimism about the bigger picture.
If there's any match that can end Villa's unbeaten run, it's this one. The last time they won consecutive seasons at Old Trafford was in 1930 and it was the only away field, apart from Manchester City's Etihad Stadium, where they had tasted defeat since Emery took charge. .
And while far from perfect, United have improved a lot from the team that was beaten in the same game last season. Their home record is the best out of the top two and neither team has conceded less at home. Villa, eliminated for the first time under Emery, have never really inflicted their first defeat in front of their own fans since Brighton won 2-1 in their opening game of the season.
If Ezri Konsa could have reacted a split second earlier when the ball hit him minutes from goal, they could have scored a point. However, it really wasn't worth it and the overwhelming feeling that this game is so far away for a team that has one of the club's best records in years despite a constant shortage of numbers.
For the first time, you wonder if the efforts of the past two months are starting to affect the feet of Ashley Young, Douglas Luiz and teammates. The returns of Matty Cash, Boubacar Kamara, Philippe Coutinho and Leon Bailey, all close to Emery, seem increasingly important. Villa have failed to fall behind many times, but when the boss turned around and looked down at the bench here in the second half as his team looked to step back, he really didn't have many options.
Compare that to Erik Ten Hag, who has five minutes left to replace Marcus Rashford with Anthony Martial. Villa's latest change sees the birth of Jhon Duran, a player with huge potential who has yet to make 10 Premier League appearances or score a single goal.
Villa's best chance, except for the one that came to Konsa late, when Alex Moreno successfully saved David De Gea in the far corner, but even then Ollie Watkins' best opportunity would have gone to Ollie Watkins if the striker didn't. Slip. Important time. That pretty much sums up Villa's days.
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