Liverpool star striker Darwin Nunez had to be physically restrained by manager Jurgen Klopp after the Uruguayan got in a full-time sideline stoush with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.
The two sides had just played out a 1-1 draw, which ended City’s 100 per cent record at home this season and saw the defending champions knocked off the top of the Premier League table once Arsenal completed a 1-0 win over Brentford.
But after the match, both parties played down the altercation.
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Guardiola repeatedly said “nothing happened” during his post-game press conference, and insisted he allowed Klopp to pull Nunez away because “he’s stronger than me”.
In another interview Klopp said the stink was “just emotions”, and he was the “perfect person” to step in between the two.
“That’s the story of the world, huh? A person who doesn’t understand a word trying to calm down two people,” he told talkSPORT.
“It’s fine – it’s just emotions, nothing else. Because love them both, I was probably the perfect person to do that.
“But nothing spectacular. Emotions.”
City’s Erling Haaland scored his 50th Premier League goal, and in doing so became the quickest player to the milestone, doing so in just his 48th match.
The record had been held by former Manchester United and Newcastle striker Andy Cole, who reached that total in 65 games.
Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold scored the equaliser in the 80th minute,
Klopp’s men and Liverpool have experience of pushing Guardiola all the way in a long title race, with Liverpool the only team to break City’s supremacy over the past six years when crowned champions in 2020.
Klopp has rebuilt the squad that won every major honour for Liverpool from 2019-22.
“For us I think we passed a test today, I am not sure if it was ‘the’ test,” Klopp said.
“Last year with a team that played long together we got completely under the wheels here (losing 4-1) and had no real chance. Today we had a chance.”
Arsenal led the table for 248 days last season before falling away late on.
At Brentford, Arteta, in his 200th game in charge, likely feared the worst as the clock ticked down at Gtech Community Stadium with the game goalless.
Kai Havertz’s 89th-minute header completely changed the mood, securing a 1-0 win and moving Arsenal a point above City.
“When you have an opportunity to take a bite out of everybody, you have to do it,” Arteta said.
“I love winning and we are top of the table and this is where we have to want to be.”
Both Klopp and Arteta know it’s where you finish at the end that counts. And Guardiola is a master of handling the pressure at the top.
“We are hungry and upset in the locker room, but it was an incredibly great game,” Guardiola said.
“We were not going to win or lose the Premier League today, we just had to be ourselves.”