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Manuel Pellegrini has insisted that Jurgen Klopp is in no position to complain about referees’ decision-making, having been benefitted from officiating mistakes in the past.
The West Ham boss vented his frustration following last night’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool after officials failed to rule out Sadio Mane ’s goal for offside.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp also attacked the referee’s performance, saying he had been affected by his assistant’s mistake in the build-up to Mane’s goal.
But Pellegrini insisted that Klopp has no right to complain, pointing specifically to Borussia Dortmund’s victory over Malaga in the 2013 Champions League quarter-finals.
Klopp’s Dortmund beat Pellegrini’s La Liga side 3-2 courtesy of a winner where three players were offside.
Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratingsShow all 23 1 /23Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings
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Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings Lukasz Fabianski - 7 out of 10 Another immaculate performance in the West Ham goal. Ater Mane’s opener, he dealt with everything that came his way, crosses, shots and kicking. What a difference he has made since last summer.
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Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings Ryan Fredericks - 5 On a rare Premier League start, Fredericks did not undermine the case for Pablo Zabaleta still being first choice in this position. Rash, reckless and often caught out of position early on, he did settle into the game in the second half when West Ham sat in.
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Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings Issa Diop - 6 West Ham had plenty of defending to do in the second half but Diop is as natural a defender as they come. Plenty of headers, blocks and tackles as the minutes ticked down, but nothing he cannot handle.
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Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings Angelo Ogbonna - 6 Credulously bought the dummy from Mane at the very start but then recovered his composure. Went on to be a powerful presence in both boxes, holding off Liverpool until the end.
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Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings Aaron Cresswell - 6 Kept buzzing around up and down the left flank, trying to overlap and cause problems for Liverpool. It never quite came off for him but that did not stop him from trying.
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Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings Mark Noble - 7 Never stopped running, all over the pitch. From crucial tackles at one end to a block to help Antonio score at the other. He even had a good chance to half-volley in a late winner, lifting it just over the bar. Still a classic Noble performance.
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Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings Declan Rice - 8 Never looks flustered no matter how good the opposition. Produced a few moments of class here, shimmying away from Liverpool midfielders, to remind everyone how gifted he is. Should have scored with a first-half header, though, to his obvious frustration.
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Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings Michail Antonio - 6 Delivered the game’s crucial moment when he snuck in behind the Liverpool defence from a freekick and slid the ball past Alisson into the bottom corner. That aside it was mainly classic Antonio, selfless running in the service of the team.
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Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings Robert Snodgrass - 6 Had to do plenty of running as West Ham tried to keep pace in midfield but he did well, scurrying around, trying to link up with Hernandez as well as doing his defensive work.
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Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings Felipe Anderson - 8 When he is in the mood he can be one of the most exciting in the country. Was by far West Ham’s biggest threat here, whether running with the ball or hitting those perfect set-pieces. An unpredictable joy to watch.
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Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings Javier Hernandez - 5 Drafted in to lead the line in the absence of Arnautovic, Hernandez still knows where to run to cause the opposition problems. Unfortunately for him, his confidence looks down and nothing came off for him in the box.
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Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings Alisson - 5 Had very little to do but was caught off-guard when Antonio slotted the ball past him in the first half. Beyond that it was mainly frustration at what was happening in front of him.
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Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings James Milner - 7 His adaptation into an auxiliary right-back at 33 is testament to his intelligence and athleticism, and here he did a good job in difficult circumstances, even though Liverpool could have done with him in midfield. Got down to the byline to provide the cross for Mane’s opener.
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Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings Joel Matip - 4 How Liverpool need Joe Gomez back. Matip is not much of a set-piece presence given his size, and West Ham should have scored more than they did. One careless giveaway to Declan Rice in the second half also went unpunished.
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Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings Virgil Van Dijk - 6 Again was a one-man counter-attack prevention mention, gliding across to shut down West Ham’s attempts in the second half. Is still shouldering so much of the burden for this team and while he is always immaculate, he could do with some help.
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Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings Andrew Robertson - 6 Tireless work ethic as always on his side. Could not quite find the right cross but it was not for lack of trying.
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Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings Fabinho - 5 Saw plenty of the ball, but Liverpool needed him to show more authority and there were times when Declan Rice and even Mark Noble managed to scurry away from him in the middle of the pitch. They need Wijnaldum and Henderson back.
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Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings Naby Keita - 4 On a night when Liverpool needed their Plan B midfield to step up, Keita never looked fully at home. Slowing down Liverpool’s attacks on the ball, too often AWOL without it, he looked like a player moving in the wrong direction.
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Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings Adam Lallana - 5 Produced one brilliant moment to play in an offside James Milner to create Sadio Mane’s opener. But that was pretty much it for the evening. It was only Lallana’s fourth league start of the season, but this was a reminder Liverpool do not have as much depth as they need.
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Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings Mohamed Salah - 6 Liverpool needed him but he could not produce the moment they were looking for, even though he saw more of the ball as the game went on. West Ham defenders just kept on getting in his way.
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Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings Roberto Firmino - 5 A curiously quiet game up front, Firmino struggled to see much of the ball against a canny West Ham defence. Was eventually replaced by Divock Origi with Liverpool chasing a winner, which was never part of the plan.
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Jack Pitt-Brooke's West Ham vs Liverpool player ratings Sadio Mane - 6 Scored the goal that should have settled Liverpool’s nerves, spinning Ogbonna with a clever turn and clinical finish. That felt like a huge moment, but his team mates could not match his early contribution and capitalise n the goal.
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Pellegrini said after the 1-1 draw at the London Stadium: “Klopp is used to winning with offside goals. He beat me against Malaga with a goal seven metres offside. So he cannot complain about anything.”
Of Liverpool’s chances, he said: “They scored a goal one metre offside. In the last minute with Origi in front of the linesman, again one metre offside.”
The former Manchester City boss added: “I said in the week that we need to win this game for our fans and if we are going to give a hand to Manchester City, well, they are my club also. Maybe that was the reason the manager of Liverpool didn’t like it.”
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