(Video) “I was afraid his opponent would go down if Sadio took a breath” – Klopp explains why Mane was taken off early

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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was not a happy man after the game in Madrid against Atletico in the Champions League. The hosts employed some dark arts against the Reds, and the referee ate it up like it was a fresh batch of paella.

MORE: (Video) Klopp implies referee in Atletico game wasn’t strong enough

There was a lot of pressure for the players to perform under the lights at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, but it’s perhaps the referee who got found out the most.

After the game, Klopp explained his rationale for taking Sadio Mane off early when we needed to find a goal, and he explained he was “afraid his opponent would go down if Sadio (blows) took a breath” – which is a fair statement.

Take a watch of the video below (via LFC TV):

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