Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is “used to winning with offside goals”, says West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini.
His cutting remark came after the Hammers’ 1-1 draw with the Reds on Monday night when Sadio Mane’s opener was at least a metre offside.
The two managers were involved in a heated discussion at full-time and Pellegrini made it clear he is still not over their high-profile meeting six years ago when Klopp’s Dortmund beat the Chilean’s Malaga 3-2 in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Dortmund scored two injury-time goals and the winning strike looked offside.
And when Klopp complained about the officials’ second-half performance at the London Stadium, Pellegrini did not hold back.
He said: “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.”
Speaking about Liverpool’s chances, Pellegrini said: “They scored a goal one metre offside.
“And in the last minute with [Divock] Origi in front of the linesman, again one metre offside.”
Pellegrini, a former Manchester City manager, suggested Klopp may not have liked his pre-match comments.
He 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.”
Liverpool are now just three points ahead of second-placed Manchester City, who could leapfrog their rivals if they beat Everton on Wednesday.