Atletico Madrid tried to get Sadio Mane sent off in Liverpool defeat, claims Klopp
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has accused Atletico Madrid of trying to get Sadio Mane sent off during their Champions League knockout first-leg defeat at the Wanda Metropolitano.
The holders will head to Anfield with a narrow 1-0 deficit to overturn in the second leg after Saul Niguez's early strike condemned Liverpool to their first defeat since September with their senior squad.
But the German coach was incensed by the Spanish side's apparent attempts to rile up his players, with Mane receiving a yellow card for tussling with Sime Vrsaljko off the ball.
The pair collided again before half time and Atletico's players swarmed around Polish referee Szymon Marciniak, demanding a second yellow to be shown to the Senegalese.
Klopp responded by substituting the winger at the interval and later revealed he did it to protect the player, seemingly unamused by Atletico's "targeting" of the 26-year-old and the official's handling of the game.
"He [Sadio Mane] was targeted. It was clear," Klopp told BT Sport. "They wanted to make sure he got a yellow card.
"It is only half time but you need to be really strong as a referee in this atmosphere. Already in the first 30 minutes three of their players went to the ground I don't know what for.
"Nobody to blame. I am fine, 1-0 down at half time we have the longest half time break and we will use that."
Klopp cut a frustrated figure on the touchline while his counterpart Diego Simeone was more animated and the Liverpool boss was handed a yellow card late on for protesting with the referee - a decision he struggled to comprehend.
"It was too much. I am pretty sure, was it a throw-in for us before the first goal? That doesn't help to stay calm. All human beings make mistakes."
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