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'Not a big deal' - LASK boss responds to Jurgen Klopp complaint and questions Liverpool decision

LASK head coach Thomas Sageder reacts to his side's 3-1 Europa League home loss to Liverpool

Thomas Sageder, head coach of LASK, gives his team instructions during their Europa League 2023/24 group stage match with Liverpool
Thomas Sageder, head coach of LASK, gives his team instructions during their Europa League 2023/24 group stage match with Liverpool(Image: Christian Hofer/Getty Images)

LASK head coach Thomas Sageder has questioned whether Liverpool’s second goal in their 3-1 victory over the Austrians should have stood on Thursday night.

Trailing 1-0 at half-time, Jurgen Klopp’s side fought back to open their Europa League group-stage campaign with a win thanks to a Darwin Nunez penalty and strikes from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah.


And while was unsure whether it was the right decision to award Liverpool a penalty after Diaz was tripped in the box, Sageder took greater issue with a supposed foul in the build-up to the Colombian’s own strike.


“We could compete against Liverpool but we have to develop certain things,” he told reporters. “You can take positives from every loss and that is what I will tell my players.

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“We actually expected it (their line-up) like that. We didn’t focus on the names. In the second half, we saw that Liverpool is a top team. It was very hard for us to win balls and create situations.

“The penalty, I don’t know, I will have to check it. Before the second goal, I think there was a foul against us but I will have to check it later.”

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Meanwhile, Sageder also played down Klopp’s own complaints about the pitch at the Raiffeisen Arena.

“Maybe Mr Klopp is used to different pitches,” he said. “But I think it was okay and not a big deal.”

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