Chelsea FC boss Frank Lampard weighed in on the debate surrounding his touchline dispute with Liverpool FC manager Jurgen Klopp. The two managers clashed in what led to a foul-mouthed rant from Lampard when the two sides met on Anfield earlier this week.
A foul on Liverpool FC winger Sadio Mane by Blues midfielder Mateo Kovacic and the subsequent awarding of a free-kick by the referee Andre Marriner was the cause for much anger amongst the Chelsea FC players on the pitch. Lampard too was appealed by Marriner’s decision, as the consensus among the Blues was that Kovacic’s tackle had got the ball off Mane’s feet.
A verbal altercation soon broke out on the touchline between the managers of both sides. Lampard was seen to be furious on the decision that had gone against his side and was making his frustrations clear to Klopp.
The Liverpool FC boss, on the other hand, was trying to appease Lampard. However, he soon resorted to raising his voice as well upon Lampard redirecting his anger towards the Reds’ staff members seated behind Klopp.
The Blues manager has now clarified on what he believed was a violation of the touchline ‘code’ by the Liverpool FC assistant manager Pep Lijnders. According to Lampard, touchline dialogue must be restricted to only the managers of both sides. The Chelsea FC boss voiced his disapproval of Ljinder’s role in the spat, stating that only the managers of both parties should be engaged in the interchange.
Lampard, however, did express disappointment at the language used by him on the touchline in the post-match interview. Despite regretting his choice of words during the argument, the Blues manager added that he was not ashamed of the passion he showed in voicing his dissent against the free-kick awarded to the Reds following Kovacic’s tackle.
Trent Alexander Arnold scored a fantastic goal from the resulting free-kick to double his side’s lead on Wednesday afternoon. The game was ultimately won 5-3 by the Reds, despite Chelsea FC looking likely to stage a comeback at one point.
