Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp accepted he “went over the top” and “lost it” and fully deserved his red card in his side’s 1-0 victory over Manchester City.
The Reds manager was furious referee Anthony Taylor had not given a foul on goalscorer Mohamed Salah by Bernardo Silva late in the game.
But his anger, also directed at the assistant referee just metres from the incident, saw him dismissed from the touchline.
Anfield’s technical area had been a fiery place, with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola apoplectic that Phil Foden’s earlier goal had been overturned by Taylor.
That was after VAR had advised the referee to view the pitchside monitor for an Erling Haaland foul on Fabinho in the build-up.
What Klopp said to the officials remains unclear but it was enough to see him instantly dismissed.
“The red card was my fault. I went over the top in the moment, but I don’t think I was disrespectful to anyone,” said the German.
“When you look at the pictures back, I know myself at 55 years old the way I look in these moments, (it) is already worth a red card.
“I lost it in that moment and that is not OK, but (there is) a little bit of an excuse. I will like to mention how can you not whistle that foul? How on earth is that possible?”
Taylor had allowed the players something of a free rein in the game as he tried to play advantage as often as he could.
But occasionally that was the wrong decision in a high-tempo, high stakes game.
“I heard now that people said it was Anfield that made the VAR decision,” added Klopp.
“With a foul on Mo, Anfield had no chance to make any impact. It’s a foul on Fabinho (in the lead-up to Foden’s goal), I think we agree on that. Is it not enough, to pull somebody down?
“Then Ali (goalkeeper Alisson Becker) has the hand on the ball (before Haaland frees it).
“So there was already the first moment where Pep and I were pretty animated but actually for the same reason to be 100 percent honest.
“We were not arguing with each other, not at all. Then that situation (with Salah) I just had the perfect view and the linesman, and you can imagine we are 1-0 up and we have a free-kick there or a counter-attack there.
“That is pretty much a 100 percent difference and that was when I snapped and again I am not proud of that, but it happened.”