Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has poked fun at Tottenham Hotspur playmaker James Maddison for his role in a key moment in the 2018-19 Premier League title race.
The Reds are set to take on Burnley on Saturday, and five years ago, manager Vincent Kompany scored a wondergoal to help tilt the title in Manchester City’s direction.
Maddison, playing for Leicester at the time, was in the vicinity of Kompany as he lined up what would become a title-defining shot.
However, rather than try to close him down, the Tottenham midfielder stood off him.
Kompany then let rip from distance, finding the back of the net for a 1-0 win and putting City a point ahead of Liverpool with one game to go.
It proved crucial because both teams won their final games of the season and settled one of the most iconic title races of all time in City’s favour. Liverpool finished second with 97 points.
Jurgen Klopp aims cheeky dig at Tottenham ace James Maddison
Five years on, and Maddison has swapped Leicester for Tottenham in a £40million move.
Meanwhile, Kompany has since hung up his boots and is now in the dugout, where he’ll come up against Klopp.
And while Klopp is obviously not bitter about the whole situation, he still couldn’t help but aim a cheeky dig at the Tottenham No. 10 for what happened five years ago.
“Yes, I forgave him (Kompany) that goal a long time (ago),” Klopp told the Reds media team.
“There are plenty of players I should hate. (Former Bayern Munich star) Arjen Robben is one of them! But I don’t. Same as with Vincent Kompany.
“I believe there were other situations in that season where I thought they were more influential than Vincent Kompany’s goal.
“When I think about that situation, I still think Maddison should have blocked the shot!
“Vincent just tried to get rid of the ball, and it ended up in the goal! But no, absolutely, not that’s important. Yes, I forgave him, long ago.”
Klopp does have a point, it has to be said. Rather than aim to close Kompany down, Maddison stood by.
But then again, when you’re talking split-second reactions, the Spurs man probably didn’t think that a central defender would even consider having a pop, never mind find the back of the net with the kind of effort the best centre-forwards would’ve been proud of.
Anyway, that was then. Liverpool did eventually end their Premier League trophy drought a year later, and they remain very much in the hunt for another trophy this term.
