Jose Mourinho tells Jurgen Klopp ‘the best team lost’ in postgame exchange after Spurs loss against Liverpool

Following Liverpool’s 2-1 win against Tottenham on Wednesday, managers Jurgen Klopp and Jose Mourinho had a tense conversation that seemed to indicate things went well beyond the pleasantries of “good game” or “best of luck.” When asked about this, Mourinho said that he told his opponent something that he did not agree with.

“I told Jurgen that the best team lost, and he disagreed,” the Tottenham manager said after the game. The Portuguese manager also made sure to critique Klopp’s sideline antics, saying “if I behaved like him on the touchline, it would be very different.”

His criticisms continued when speaking to a group of reporters after the match, claiming that it was Klopp’s behavior in the technical area that pressured officials into booking Giovani Lo Celso, who Mourinho then substituted off as a result of the yellow card.

“The changes were to find counterattack situations, which we did immediately, but with [Lo Celso]’s yellow card and the incredible pressure these guys on the touchline put on the officials, I was afraid of the yellow card and I had to take him off,” he said, per ESPN.

“I am not the one to speak to my colleagues about their behavior on the touchline,” he continued, with seemingly no sense of irony.

Klopp downplayed the conversation, but still made it clear that he believed his side rightfully earned the three points it picked up on Wednesday, which officially put Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table.

“A good game against a counterattacking monster, the possession we had, we did incredibly well,” Klopp said. “Yes, they have scored a goal, had two chances; apart from that we controlled the game and it is a massively deserved three points and I am happy.”

That’s where things ended between the two managers. However, the banter continued online with Trent Alexander-Arnold throwing a jab towards the opposing manager with a celebratory post.

Tottenham and Liverpool are set to square off again this season on Jan. 28.