Diego Simeone has claimed he was subjected to constant insults from the crowd before his confrontation with a fan following Liverpool's 92nd-minute winner in their 3-2 Champions League victory over Atlético Madrid. The Atlético head coach was dismissed by the referee after Virgil van Dijk's goal sparked an altercation behind the away bench.
Simeone, who watched his side fight back from two goals down through a Marcos Llorente double, admitted his emotions boiled over. 'We are in a place where we don't have a right to reply or react and it is never good when we react as managers,' he said. 'But if there are comments against us, racism or insults, we can get angry or fight back. When they scored the third goal, he turned round and insulted me. I am a person, I am human.'
The Argentine did not specify whether the remarks were racist, adding: 'I am not going to get into the exact nature of the insults. I don't want to get involved in that discussion. I have got to stay in my place. I know what went on behind the manager's bench. I can't solve society's problems in one press conference.'
Liverpool's win, secured by Van Dijk's header after earlier goals from Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah, marked the fifth time this season they have needed a late goal to triumph. Manager Arne Slot, celebrating his 47th birthday, praised his team's fitness and mentality. 'You're never 100% sure, but what I do know is that we are so fit that we are able to push one more time,' he said.
Slot joked about his birthday coinciding with the Champions League fixture for the second year running. 'It's the second year in a row that I had to celebrate my birthday on a Champions League night and the second time in a row that the players gave me a nice present, because we won them both, but I would like to ask Uefa if next year I can celebrate my birthday with my friends and family.'
