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Sadio Mane has been criticised by Michael Owen for the "lack of respect" he showed Jurgen Klopp in refusing a handshake from the Liverpool manager at the end of a Premier League meeting with Manchester United.

The Reds were walking off the field at Old Trafford with a vital 4-2 victory under their belts when Klopp endeavoured to acknowledge that achievement with his players.

There were plenty of fist bumps and hugs from the charismatic coach, but his advances were snubbed by Mane - with the Senegalese forward not taking kindly to being left out of Klopp's starting XI and seeing only 16 minutes off the bench.

What has been said?

Klopp played down the incident when quizzed on it afterwards, but former Liverpool striker Owen told Premier League Productions of an unnecessary show of petulance: "I thought Jurgen Klopp played it well in the interview, played it down, didn’t want to take the shine off what was a great performance and a great win.

"But, and there is a big but, you can’t do that to your manager, not in front of the glaring public. 

"Yes, go knock on his door tomorrow, yes, if you’re not happy then say something, but you don’t do that. That’s a lack of respect. It sends a bad image to the fans, to his team-mates. 

"Don’t forget, he didn’t play, three players did, those three players – [Mohamed] Salah, [Diogo] Jota and [Roberto] Firmino – scored all four goals between them, so he’s [Klopp] hardly wrong in what he did. 

"I said before the game I’d play Mane, I think he’s wonderful, I think he’s a brilliant player, I love watching him, I’d have hated to have played against him if I were a defender.

"But at the end of the day, the team that he did pick, the three strikers scored four goals. You [Mane] just can’t do that. That’s a lack of respect, especially with Jurgen Klopp who shows respect to everybody. I thought it was poor play. 

"I totally understand it, I’ve been left out of a cup final before, but you can’t do that. If you feel that strongly, go back to the training ground, text the manager or knock on his door, anything, so many different ways of reacting bar that one in front of the cameras. There’s so many ways you can deal with it, that’s the last way you deal with it."

Who else has had their say?

Plenty of supporters took to social media to offer their take on Mane's actions, with plenty questioning his decision to publicly shun a coach that has made him a Champions League and Premier League title winner.

Liverpool legend Graeme Souness was another to stick the boot in, with the Scot telling Sky Sports: "Disrespectful. If I was the manager I wouldn’t be happy.

"He should show a bit of respect. It’s disrespectful to the manager and the club.

"How can he argue? He’s not had a great season and Liverpool have won here 4-2."

The bigger picture

Mane has been left out at times this season after struggling to maintain the standards he has set across a productive spell at Anfield.

He has only hit 14 goals across all competitions, with Portugal international Jota now posing fierce competition for his place.

Transfer talk has resurfaced around Mane in 2020-21, with supposed interest from Spain seemingly never far away, but he is tied to a contract through to 2023.

It remains to be seen whether that agreement will be honoured and whether the 29-year-old will be back in favour with his boss when top four-chasing Liverpool take in a trip to relegated West Brom on Sunday.

Further reading

Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has urged his teammates to complete their ‘positive’ 2020-21 season with titles ahead of their FA Cup final clash with Leicester City on Saturday.

Thomas Tuchel’s men are in the running for two trophies with the Uefa Champions League also in sight as they battle Manchester City in the final on May 29.

On a personal note, Mendy admitted that it has been a ‘tough’ debut campaign for him in England because there is no winter break.

Prior to his switch to Stamford Bridge last September, the Senegal international's playing career has been in France where there is usually a break during the festive period.

"This was the first season for me without a winter break so, it was a very tough time mentally and physically because this is another rhythm, I had to adapt,” Mendy told BBC Sport Africa.

"It was my first year like this, so, it will be enriching, it will help me a lot for the following years.

"Then the new coach arrived, and the team performed well straight away, me included. So, today we arrive at the end of this season, a season that for the moment has been positive, but we need to complete that with titles."

The 29-year-old is yet to play in the FA Cup this season and Tuchel has confirmed Spain goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga will start in goal against Leicester City at Wembley.

However, Mendy went on to explain his difficulty with the absence of winter break in England and how it has helped his development to become one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League this term.

"During the winter when subconsciously you are used to this winter break, a time of rest, but this time you don't have it," he said.

"On the contrary, things even accelerate because you play every two days.

"So, it was really a tough time because physically and mentally, doing that every two days with the intensity you can have in the Premier League and all that it requires to play a high-level match, so yeah, it was a bit of a tough time.

"But here we are, I worked physically and also mentally, those are good things because you even learn more about yourself, you stretch yourself and with all this, it helped me to return to something very positive."

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl said Mohammed Salisu, Moussa Djenepo and Ibrahima Diallo struggled to make an impact during the Ramadan period.

Ramadan is a holy month in the Islamic calendar and Muslim faithful are required to abstain from food and drinks from dawn to dusk for 30 days.

It ended on Wednesday and the Austrian coach pointed out that this year’s fasting had more impact on his players than the previous ones.

During the period, Southampton endured a run of poor results as they lost five of their six matches, including their FA Cup semi-final clash against Leicester City on April 18.

"It was never that much a feeling of an impact for the players like this season to be honest," Hasenhuttl told the Daily Echo.

"I had the feeling that they definitely were struggling. But maybe because when the Ramadan is in June or May or April, the days are longer, you eat later, you have to stand up very early and it is a little bit easier I think when Ramadan is in November or December.

"Then it has maybe not such a big impact in the performance of the players. But it’s normal when you don’t eat the whole day and you’re not allowed to drink the whole day and you have the game at 8 o’clock in the evening, we had in the last game also a break for the Ramadan players to get them a drink, then it is normal that you cannot be on the same level like the other players.

"They eat normal, they sleep normal and have the chance to fill up their energy with all they have to do normally."

Hasenhuttl is anticipating to see the Ghana defender Salisu alongside Mali's Djenepo and Senegalese descent Diallo give their 100 per cent in the last three matches of the season.

"The positive thing is that Ramadan has now finished so these lads will now come back to a normal rhythm with sleeping in the night and eating in the day,” he continued.

"This will bring them back to 100 per cent, this is for Ibra, Moussa and Sali. It’s important, I think."

The Saints, who are 14th in the Premier League table, welcome relegated Fulham to St Mary's Stadium for a league clash on Saturday.

Ghana have called up Poland-based midfielder Yaw Yeboah and Vitoria Guimaraes centre-back Abdul Mumin for an upcoming U23s friendly fixture with Japan.

Gent winger Osman Bukari, Slovakia-based Benson Anang and Colchester United attacker Kwame Poku, who all featured for Ghana’s senior side in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in March, have also been included in the squad, having failed to make the Black Stars’ roster for their upcoming friendly matches against Morocco and Cote d’Ivoire.

According to a publication on the Ghana Football Association’s official website, the invited U23 players will assemble later this month for back-to-back games against their Japanese opponents in Tokyo on June 4 and June 8.

Although the games are U23 fixtures, noticeably, Ghana’s squad includes Yeboah (24 years) and Yusif Mubarik (25, according to Transfermarkt).

A host of players who helped Ghana win the Africa U20 Afcon in March have also been promoted to the U23 side. Denmark-based centre-back Frank Assinki, Great Olympics left-back Samuel Ashie Quaye, Schalke 04 attacker Joselpho Barnes and the attacking duo of Percious Boah and Afriyie Banieh Daniel.

Japan will use the games as part of preparations for the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games.

Full squad:

Goalkeepers: William Essu (Vision FC), Richmond Ayi (Hearts of Oak), Richard Baidoo (Karela FC)

Centre Backs: Frank Assinki (HB Koge, Denmark), Yussif Mubarik (Asante Kotoko), Kobina Amoah (Golden Kick SC), Frank Amoabeng (Audace Cerignola, Italy), Abdul Mumin (Guimaraes, Portugal)

Left Backs: Samuel Ashie Quaye (Great Olympics), Ibrahim Moro (Asante Kotoko)

Right Backs: Uzair Alhassan (Tamale Utrecht), Benson Annang (Zilina, Slovakia)

Midfielders: Samuel Agyepong (Wafa), Yaw Yeboah (Krakow, Poland), Issah Hudu (Liberty Professionals), Augustine Boakye (Wafa), Patrick Mensah (Heart of Lions), Emmanuel Essiam (Berekum Chelsea), Jonah Attuquaye (Legon Cities)

Left Wingers: Osman Bukari (KAA Gent, Belgium), Maxwell Abbey Quaye (Great Olympics), Salifu Ibrahim (Hearts of Oak)

Right wingers: Anim Cudjoe (Legon Cities), Joselpho Barnes (Schalke)

Forwards: Percious Boah (Dreams FC), Afriyie Banieh Daniel (Hearts of Oak), Adu-Boffour Kwame Poku (Colchester Utd), Frimpong Boateng (King Faisal), Samuel Boakye (Eleven Wonders), Diawusie Taylor (Karela FC), Kwame Peprah (King Faisal)

Pep Guardiola has warned that a third Premier League title, and potential Champions League win, will not satisfy his addiction to success, with the Manchester City boss of the opinion that his side can get even better.

Two legs of a potential treble have been completed by City this season, with another top-flight crown secured on the back of a fourth successive Carabao Cup triumph.

European glory is now there to be shot at, ahead of a heavyweight clash with domestic rivals Chelsea on May 29, and Guardiola is looking to take his team to even greater heights in the years to come.

What has been said?

One of the most decorated coaches of all time said of a desire to keep adding to his medal collection: "It’s so addictive, so nice.

"It’s addictive and, after that, why should you stop? Why should we not try to improve and do it again?

"From the outside you get results, but I still see things I don’t like.

"When you have the feeling it's enough and the pleasure is not there, it’s the time to say goodbye, but if the players still want to continue, then we're going to carry on."

How long will Guardiola be sticking around?

The Catalan coach did have history prior to arriving in England of enjoying considerable success over a brief period of time in any one post before moving onto another challenge.

Four years were spent in charge of Barcelona and three at the helm of Bayern Munich.

Guardiola is approaching the end of his fifth season at City, with a contract committed to in November that is set to take him through to the summer of 2023.

On the signing of that deal, which came on the back of a family holiday to the Maldives alongside Blues chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, the ambitious 50-year-old said: "I saw that he trusted me. I cannot assure him of success, but I saw his eyes and I trusted him.

"When that happens, you have to do it. When it happens I cannot say no. All the managers in the world, you can be sacked if you don’t win games.

"We had long discussions and he convinced me we still have work to do. I trust him a lot and I said 'we're going to try to do it again in the next few years'.

"Part of the reason for my happiness here is his determination to convince me to say 'we still have to do it'.

"We cannot forget we came from the disappointment of Lyon, losing in the quarter-finals of the Champions League the previous season, and no holidays.

"I had the feelings in other clubs sometimes - Bayern Munich and Barcelona were always supportive - that feeling the managers are always supported when they have success.

"I cannot forget my first season here, when we didn't win anything, the behaviour of my chairman. And the big disappointment against Lyon, the support I had from my chairman.

"That's why he is part of our success and it's dedicated to him, for supporting me, like I support my backroom staff and the players.

"Now we have two weeks ahead of us to prepare for the dream come true of playing the final of the Champions League and the show must go on next season. We are going to try to be strong next season."

Further reading

Mamelodi Sundowns shot-stopper Denis Onyango is expecting an interesting encounter against his former coach Pitso Mosimane, when the Brazilians face reigning Caf Champions League champions Al Ahly on Saturday.

The 56-year-old tactician was with Masandawana from 2012 before the Egyptian giants came for his services in 2020.

Having led the South African heavyweights to the 2016 continental title, the tactician will be aiming at getting the better of his former side in the quarter-finals to stand a chance of winning the competition for a third time, having won his second Champions League with the Red Devils six months ago.

The Uganda legend is not expecting an easy outing against a team they are facing at this stage for the third successive season, and has expressed his feelings ahead of the reunion with his former coach.

"We anticipate a very tough encounter, looking at the fact that we have played them I think now this is the third time in a row," Onyango said ahead of Saturday's game .

"We are facing our former coach, it makes it a little bit interesting for us and also for them.

"We are looking forward to the encounter and we will try to get a positive result away from home so that by the time we play the second leg it’s not as tough as the first leg. We believe that we will get positive results on the weekend."

The 36-year-old has also pointed out the importance of taking their chances against the Egyptian giants, at the same time urging his teammates to be wary of the quality of their opponents.

"When you play a team of Al Ahly’s caliber or Zamalek or any team from North Africa, you need to work extremely hard, you need to have tactical discipline from all the players and you must be able to take your chances because if you don’t take your chances you get punished," Onyango continued. 

"It is a team with a lot of quality players and we need to be very, very careful with them.

"We need to take our chances and at least get an away goal, but our main objective is to try and win the game and see how the second leg will be played because you can never count on the second leg without getting positive results from the first leg."

Saturday's encounter kicks off at 21:00 at Cairo's Al Salam Stadium.

Bruno Fernandes saw a "dream come true" in Manchester United's 4-2 defeat to Liverpool, with the Portuguese midfielder captaining the Red Devils for the first time in a Premier League fixture.

With Harry Maguire ruled out through injury, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer passed the armband to a talismanic presence further up the field.

Fernandes was unable to inspire United to victory over their arch-rivals at Old Trafford but, having already led the side in a Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain earlier in the season, was delighted to take on added responsibility.

What has been said?

Fernandes told MUTV on following in some iconic footsteps as United skipper: "I think everyone knows it’s the biggest honour to have the armband in the game for the club.

"I’m another one. I am proud of that. As I said, like after Paris, it’s a dream come true."

What went wrong against Liverpool?

Solskjaer's side got off to the perfect start in a rearranged fixture with old adversaries, with Fernandes seeing an early effort deflect off Nat Phillips on its way into the back of the net.

Liverpool, though, were to stage a stirring fightback and led 3-1 two minutes into the second half.

Marcus Rashford briefly offered the Red Devils hope, but Mohamed Salah ended the game as a contest with a breakaway goal in the final minute of the 90.

Fernandes admits that United have plenty to work on after being downed on home soil, with there obvious areas for them to address heading towards the 2021-22 campaign.

He said: "We played side to side, we tried to do what we trained at. When you go down, playing 45 minutes against a team like Liverpool, we tried to push a little bit more and create danger.

"We gave more space to them, and they took that space and we conceded another two goals. Everyone was disappointed in the dressing room because we made mistakes but we'll learn from that and we have to keep improving. We are not at our best yet."

Fernandes added: "We started well, we score, we created more chances after that.

"After we concede… We concede two goals from set-pieces and we know we have to work on that. We concede many goals this season from set-pieces. 

"As I said, we are disappointed in the dressing room and we have to improve, we have to be better and we have to do it in the next game against Fulham to secure second place."

Further reading

Simba SC coach Didier Gomes Da Rosa has stated they will not underrate Kaizer Chiefs when they face off in the first leg of their Caf Champions League quarter-final fixture on Saturday.

The Msimbazi giants are already in South Africa for their first-ever meeting against Amakhosi, who are currently in the middle an inconsistent run of results in the Premier Soccer League.

According to Da Rosa, despite the South African giants blowing hot and cold in their domestic campaign, Simba will not look at their home performances but will be prepared for a different team with a different style of play in the Champions League.

“If you look at their Champions League matches they are changing and playing differently from their domestic matches which is probably why they are here [in the quarter-finals], so we have seen what they can do in the league and in the Caf competition and we have worked out plans to deal with them,” Da Rosa told Goal.

“We don’t want to lose focus by relying on their mixed run of results and thinking we have an easy match ahead of us, we must be focused to do our job.

“All the teams in this tournament are strong and we give a lot of respect to Kaizer Chiefs but we are excited and we want to reach the top in this tournament and we are ready to play with them.

“It will be a tough match but we have had enough time to prepare, we need to focus on this match and I believe we are ready to go far in this tournament.”

Statistics show the FNB Stadium, which will be used for the match against Simba, has not been a good hunting ground for Chiefs as they have not been able to get positive results in the various competitive matches they have played there.

This season in the 25 PSL and Champions League matches played at the stadium, Chiefs have won just six times, drawing 11 and losing eight games.

Overall, in the last four league matches played home and away, they lost 1-0 against Chippa United, drew 2-2 against Bloemfontein Celtic, lost 2-1 against Tshakuma Tsha Madzivhandila, and managed a 1-1 draw against Maroka Swallows on Wednesday.

Simba will hope to maintain the solidity they showed in the group stage, where they only conceded two goals and kept four clean sheets as goalkeepers Aishi Manula and Beno Kakolanya were used between the sticks.

If Inter Milan’s last two Serie A performances are anything to go by, Antonio Conte isn’t going easy on his team despite securing their first Scudetto in over a decade.

Having played conservatively for a couple of months to secure their 19th Scudetti, the Nerazzurri have dismantled Sampdoria 5-1 and played out an entertaining 3-1 win over Roma on Wednesday night.

It was Inter’s 15th consecutive home win in the league and the four-time Serie A winner certainly isn’t letting up. Neither is Achraf Hakimi, who has seen an upswing in the final third in recent gameweeks.

The Morocco star was, by and large, disadvantaged by Conte’s disciplined approach before the title was sewn up, causing a drop off in the consistency of his direct goal involvements.

His recent run of four direct goal contributions (one goal and three assists) in as many games since setting up Matteo Darmian vs Hellas Verona in late April was preceded with zero goals and two assists in the previous 14 games.

Even though the restrictive approach from the ex-Chelsea boss during the North African’s lull demonstrated the young defender's tactical growth in his own defensive third, Hakimi’s strengths are undoubtedly suited to playing front-foot football.

Indeed, Inter’s third on Wednesday to seal the deserved win over Roma demonstrated the turbo-charged wideman’s menace on the break.

Despite being behind the play when the hosts won possession on the edge of their area, Hakimi’s searing pace saw him dart beyond the play as the hosts went from back to front in an instant.

He unselfishly set up Romelu Lukaku for the frontman’s 22nd league goal of the campaign and his first in over a month. The Belgian marksman is unquestionably Conte’s most important player, but the African isn’t far behind the ex-Chelsea forward—although Nicolo Barella may dispute this claim.

Be that as it may, the mere fact Hakimi has become one of the main components in a title-winning side in his first year in Italy is credit to the defender’s talent and ability.

In truth, many foresaw events playing out this way owing to Conte’s fondness for wing-backs since his spell at Juventus and the player’s rise into one of Europe’s frightening wide defenders.

There were understandable long-term reservations to the sustainability of those methodical showings, but the 22-year-old has been a beneficiary of the shackles coming off in the last couple of gameweeks.

The upshot of Conte's return to their pre-2021 approach means only Atalanta’s Robin Gosens (16) has more goal contributions than Hakimi (15) among Serie A defenders and, as a matter of fact, in Europe’s top five leagues.

Having battled Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold last term, this year’s continued final third efficiency demonstrates the Inter man’s consistency and one can only wonder what might have been had Conte not restricted the team’s freedom in the New Year.

The Nerazzurri are unbeaten in 20 league games, have surpassed the points tally of Jose Mourinho’s treble-winning side from 2010 but still have unfinished business with this weekend’s Derby d’Italia clash with unrecognisable Juventus.

The Old Lady are the last side to defeat Conte’s men in any competition, with their Coppa Italia elimination of Inter in early February preventing the country’s best side from competing for a league and cup double.

They’ve shown there’s still fire in their belly despite securing Serie A and they need no added motivation playing Andrea Pirlo’s team. Be that as it may, aside from simply securing bragging rights over the side they dethroned is the added desire to seriously damage Juventus prospects of missing out on next year’s Champions League.

The tightness of the top four race in Italy means Atalanta in second only lead the fifth-placed Bianconeri by three points with two gameweeks to play.

A loss at the hands of their bitter rivals on their turf, a week after being soundly beaten 3-0 by AC Milan at the Juventus Stadium, will be upsetting for a side with CL aspirations.

“Even if we have already won the Scudetto, we continue to do what we have done all season, so as always to show why we are Champions of Italy,” Hakimi told Inter TV after Wednesday’s win over Roma. “We have to recover and then think about the next match against Juventus: it will be a tough but beautiful game to play because it is one that all Inter fans want to win.”

The Moroccan later revealed Conte’s insistence on winning and not tailing off, as if we didn’t know that already! 

If Juventus thought this relentless Inter side would go easy on them on Saturday, they’ve got another thing coming...

Roy Keane ripped into Manchester United after their 4-2 defeat to Liverpool on Thursday, taking particular aim at Fred, Luke Shaw and Dean Henderson as reasons the club in his eyes remains far behind Manchester City in the Premier League.

The Red Devils were unable to prevent Liverpool from finding space in and around the box, and they helped Jurgen Klopp's side with several defensive errors that Keane called "schoolboy stuff".

They have already clinched a Champions League place for next season, but Keane thinks Manchester United have now reached their ceiling given their shortcomings.

What has been said?

“I know [Ole Gunnar Solskjaer] perseveres with Fred, but I can’t see it," Keane told Sky Sports.

"How they think Fred is going to get Man United back to winning titles is beyond me, I know he dragged him off. But it’s just sloppy, it’s lazy, he’s hoping one of his mates gets him out of trouble.

"We’ve just mentioned it, Shaw, it’s schoolboy stuff, it sums it up and then Liverpool are on the front foot. Then, the goalkeeper, who didn’t look great tonight, mistake after mistake - poor, poor from United.

Keane did not allow the absence of captain Harry Maguire to be used as an excuse for the performance.

“Maguire is a loss but these are schoolboy errors," he said. "Fred is under no pressure there, gives it away. Shaw, an experienced international player.

"We’re building the goalkeeper up and asking if he’s going to be the future number one for United, but they’re falling short. Maguire is a loss for them, but that’s schoolboy errors there, nothing to do with missing Maguire.”

He also said Henderson has looked "small" in goal and might not be the answer for the club to permanently replace David de Gea, who could depart this summer after falling out of favour.

Further reading

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted that Manchester United missed Harry Maguire during their 4-2 loss to Liverpool on Thursday night.

Liverpool picked up their first win at Old Trafford since 2014 thanks to a Roberto Firmino double and goals from Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah, with Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford grabbing what ultimately amounted to nothing more than consolation efforts for the hosts.

Maguire was unavailable for selection for the second successive game due to an ankle injury, and Solskjaer has conceded that the Red Devils suffered in his absence.

What's been said?

The Norwegian boss also called on his players to put the result behind them quickly and raise their game for their final two Premier League fixtures and the Europa League final at the end of the month.

"Harry [Maguire] has been really important for us so of course, we're going to miss him but he's out so we have to deal with that," Solskjaer told Sky Sports.

"It's about regrouping and building our own confidence again as we have two games and a final.

"Tuesday. We need to find ourselves straight away. We need to build that momentum and confidence. We should go into that final ready."

United humbled by Liverpool

United got off to the best possible start at Old Trafford when Fernandes opened the scoring with a deflected effort 10 minutes in, but Jota hit back with a close-range finish just after the half-hour mark.

A powerful Firmino header gave Liverpool the lead just before half-time and he grabbed his second two minutes after the interval, turning the ball home after reacting quickest to a rebound.

Edinson Cavani then set up Rashford to fire past Reds No.1 Alisson and set up a tense finale, but the visitors made sure of all three points in the 90th minute when Salah raced through to finish off a swift counter-attack.

Solskjaer refused to offer any excuses for the defeat, but did lament his team's lack of killer instinct when on top of proceedings in the first half.

"They deserved the win. We conceded goals in key moments of the game," the United boss added. "We didn't build on the momentum or break up their momentum. We gave them at least two goals. Key moments went against us.

"We didn't build on the good times. We should have gone more for it at the start of the game. Sometimes we let them off the hook and let them play out."

What's next?

United will now prepare for another home fixture against Fulham on Tuesday, which comes five days before they finish their Premier League campaign against Wolves at Molineux.

Solskjaer's side are then due to come up against Villarreal in the Europa League final on May 26 in Gdansk, Poland, where they will be seeking their first trophy since 2017.

Further reading

Football enthusiasts have blasted Sadio Mane for snubbing Jurgen Klopp's handshake after their 4-2 victory over Manchester United in Thursday's Premier League encounter.

Mane started the encounter on the bench with the German tactician opting for Diogo Jota to combine with Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah in the Reds' attack.

Jota scored the equaliser for the visitors at Old Trafford after Bruno Fenandes opened the scoring while Firmino scored a brace before Salah scored a 90th minute goal to seal maximum points for the Reds.

Mane was introduced as a 74th-minute substitute for Jota and many fans are suggesting that he was unhappy to have started the game on the bench and that was the reason he snubbed Klopp when he tried to shake him after the full-time whistle was blown.

Despite the manager’s tactical decision, there was a consensus on social media that the Senegal international disrespected Klopp and he has been called to apologise for his ‘embarrassing’ and ‘childish’ behaviour.

Former Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele has denied reports of his appointment as the Democratic Republic of the Congo football ambassador.

The Congolese football federation had announced the appointment of the 48-year-old into the role and it has now gotten to the attention of the former France international.

Makelele has taken to social media to reveal he was consulted regarding the offer but never agreed to be the country’s football ambassador.

He, however, wished the African country well in their future endeavours and explained he has always given his support to the Congo national team.

“Following the recent publication in the media of my appointment as Congolese football ambassador, I must formally deny it,” Makelele posted on Instagram.

“I was indeed approached by the Congolese Football Federation (FECOFA) on this matter, yet there was absolutely no agreement given or commitment made on my part.

“I have always been - and remain - attentive to the developments and results of the Congolese national team, and I give them my support and wish them the very best."

Makelele was born in DR Congo formerly called Zaire but left the country along with his parent at the age of four to France in 1977.

The midfielder went on to become a success as a professional footballer, featuring for a number of top European clubs, including Chelsea, where he spent five years.

Makelele won a number of accolades during his time at Stamford Bridge, including Premier League, FA Cup and Community Shield titles. 

He previously starred for Real Madrid, Celta Vigo, Nantes and Marseille before joining Paris Saint-Germain, where he ended his playing career.

Since his retirement, he has delved into management and he is currently one of Chelsea’s heads of the loan department.

Jurgen Klopp has insisted that Liverpool are still in the race for a top-four finish after picking up a "deserved" win at Manchester United.

Liverpool moved up to fifth in the Premier League standings after beating United 4-2 at Old Trafford on Thursday night, thanks to a Roberto Firmino brace and goals from Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota.

Klopp's side are now just four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea with a game in hand, but the German tactician has warned that they will need to pick up maximum points from their final three games to secure Champions League qualification.

What's been said?

"We are still in the game, in the race. That is all we could have done tonight. It is very intense," The Liverpool boss told BBC Sport.

"We have to recover quickly and go again. We played a good game and did good enough to win so obviously we did a lot of right stuff tonight."

Klopp added: “[Roberto Firmino] was very helpful and these kind of things are really important. That’s what we needed to stay in the race.

“We have really tough games coming up. West Brom will be completely free of pressure, which can do strange things, Burnley with supporters is a tough one and we will see what we have to do against Crystal Palace.

“We have to win all the games. That’s why the draws we have had against Newcastle and Leeds felt like defeats. Being in a position where you have it in your own hands to qualify for the Champions League is a big thing. Two or three years ago that was our life."

Klopp lands first win at Old Trafford

Liverpool's thrilling victory over the Red Devils marked Klopp's first at Old Trafford since taking over at Anfield in 2015, but they had to come from behind after Bruno Fernandes' 10th-minute opener.

Jota equalised just after the half-hour mark with a delightful flick after a scramble in the box before Firmino completed a first-half comeback for the Reds by heading home a Trent Alexander-Arnold free-kick.

Firmino scored again two minutes into the second half after Dean Henderson fumbled a shot from Alexander-Arnold, but Marcus Rashford got the hosts back into the game with a cool finish in the 68th minute.

Liverpool weren't to be denied, though, with Salah racing through to score on the breakaway in stoppage time and secure a crucial three points for last season's champions.

What else did Klopp say?

Asked to assess his side's latest performance, Klopp responded: "Great fight, good game, intense - all derbies should be - and my first win at Old Trafford. Good timing I would say. We needed it. We deserved it. All good.

"It was good. All good performances. Our two centre-halves were a little shaky at the beginning of the game with passes but then did a really good game. Trent was in proper shape tonight and played pretty much everything.

"They couldn't chip the ball through to Bruno Fernandes anymore and step by step we got control of the game. It was of course tricky at 3-2 but we scored that fourth goal."

Further reading 

Jurgen Klopp dismissed his post-match clash with Sadio Mane on Thursday as "no problem" and claimed relations between them are "all fine".

The Liverpool manager attempted a handshake with the winger following a 4-2 win over Manchester United, but Mane shook his head and stormed past him. Mane was kept out of the lineup against the Red Devils in favour of Diogo Jota, who scored the Reds' first goal of the evening.

Klopp identified poor communication about the benching as the reason for Mane's anger; he said he failed to properly inform the Senegalese forward of his starting XI decision ahead of time.

What has been said?

"No there's no problem," Klopp told BBC Sport. "Yesterday I made a late decision in training to go with Diogo Jota. I would usually explain it but there was no time for that. It is all fine.

“I changed things pretty late in training. My boys are used to me explaining and I didn’t. No time, forgot it, whatever. And that was it. It’s all fine."

Jota justifies Klopp faith

The Portuguese attacker's back-heel goal tied the score at 1-1 in the first half and proved a turning point in Liverpool's eventual victory.

Jota did miss a significant opportunity to put the game away in the second half, striking the post after wriggling clear of Manchester United's defence, but he nonetheless put in an active shift for the Reds.

Bigger picture

The result was so important for the Reds that not even the dramatic sideshow between Klopp and Mane could overshadow it.

With their victory, Liverpool continued their late-season push for a Champions League position and are now just four points behind Chelsea with a game in hand in the Premier League table. They have just two matches left - against West Brom and Burnley - to try and surpass the Blues or Leicester City, who are also within reach.

Further reading

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted his Manchester United players were affected by a change in pre-match preparation due to the fans protesting outside but would not use it as an excuse after a disappointing defeat. 

Players arrived at Old Trafford hours before the crunch clash against Liverpool over fears that protestors would stop their coach reaching the ground.

Executive boxes were turned into makeshift bedrooms for the players to prepare for the game and while Solskjaer would not use it as an excuse for his team’s defeat he admitted it had had an impact as they fell to a 4-2 defeat.

What was said?

When Solskjaer was asked how the change in preparation had affected his team, he replied: “I think the players handled it well, none of them have complained, just got on with it. We knew it was going to happen so there was no point losing energy on what can’t control.

“Preparation has been different but we’re not going to make an excuse. Everyone who has played at this level knows attention to detail is important and we couldn’t do the usual but, the players handled it well.

“Haven’t’ got result and performance, it’s probably affected them a little bit but not making an excuse of it.”

What else was said?

Liverpool were deserved winners at Old Trafford and on an evening where they looked defensively shaky they really missed their captain Harry Maguire who was sat in the stand with his foot in a protective boot as he recovers from ankle ligament damage.

“Harry has been amazing since he came in, more or less ever-present,” Solskjaer said. “When a player who is leader and captain, his presence is missed.

“Two players came in and it’s a chance to take on some leadership. You can hear him in the stands when he’s not playing he’s important for us, someone else has to take the responsibility.

“Hopefully we can get him for the final but who knows – I don’t know yet.”

Further reading