Diogo Jota’s dramatic late winner against Tottenham caused Jurgen Klopp to pull a hamstring in April – and the Liverpool boss jokingly made his feelings clear about it the next day.
Klopp injured himself in frantic celebrations that followed Jota’s goal in a 4-3 Anfield triumph, when the German also landed himself in hot water for approaching the fourth official.
It was a celebration that Klopp later admitted he regretted – not that he could exactly blame Jota for the injury. Or could he?
“He did, actually!” Jota told FourFourTwo in an exclusive interview. “I can’t tell you what he said, but when he saw me the next day, he just pointed one finger at me…”
No prizes for guessing which finger that probably was, although the exchange was light-hearted – the Portuguese forward has established a strong relationship with his manager since joining Liverpool in September 2020.
Jota’s winner against Spurs came in front of the Kop, after the visitors had previously fought back from 3-0 down, and ranks as one of his most special moments during his time with Liverpool.
“For me, it was a great moment,” he said. “I did score winners at Anfield in my first season, but there was no crowd. Everybody was telling me, ‘Oh, you’ve just scored a winner in front of the Kop – it would have been amazing if the fans were here’. I needed to wait a couple more years to actually get that feeling. Having that moment was really special – I’ll remember it for a long time.
“I didn’t even notice the manager injuring himself at the time. When I arrived in the dressing room, I already had a few friends sending me the video link of him pulling his hamstring after my goal. You cannot write a script like that. I think it didn’t bother him, because it was a key moment for the team. It’s a good story to tell!”
Jota netted that winner while wearing the new adidas X Speedportal boots, part of the Heatspawn Pack, which also includes the Predator and Copa boots, available to buy now HERE
* Read the full interview with Diogo Jota in the new issue of FourFourTwo, in shops from Thursday, June 22.
More Liverpool stories
Liverpool transfer news is ramping up ahead of two big summer rebuilds.
Benjamin Pavard of Bayern Munich has been linked, while James Ward-Prowse is said to be on the shortlist. Celta Vigo’s Gabri Veiga is a target and Khephren Thuram of Nice is said to be close to joining – but Manuel Ugarte is one star who reportedly won’t be moving to Merseyside.
Liverpool are also battling Arsenal for the signature of Romeo Lavia, following Southampton’s relegation to the Championship.
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