Diego Simeone was sent off after confronting a fan following Liverpool’s 92nd-minute winner against Atlético Madrid, with the manager claiming he was subjected to constant insults throughout the match. The Atlético head coach said his reaction was ‘human’ after Virgil van Dijk’s goal secured a 3-2 victory for the hosts.
Simeone had seen his side come from behind to level through Marcos Llorente’s double, cancelling out strikes from Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah. But Liverpool captain Salah scored the decisive goal, sparking a heated moment behind the away dugout. ‘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,’ Simeone said. ‘But if there are comments against us, racism or insults, we can get angry or fight back so when we are getting insulted all the game, 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 comments 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. I have to live with it.’
Liverpool’s late victory continued a trend, with the fifth time in as many games this season they have needed a last-gasp winner. Arne Slot, celebrating his 47th birthday, joked: ‘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. What I can assure you, even if we don’t score, we will try to push for it. That is the mentality this team has, but it should not only be about mentality, it’s also how fit we are, how well prepared we are throughout the last few weeks that they are able to push one more time.’
Slot added: ‘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.’
