PREMIER - Klopp blamed and branded "villain" for Arteta touchline bust-up

Jurgen Klopp has been branded a "villain" over his touchline bust-up with Mikel Arteta on Saturday which sparked Liverpool into life at Anfield according to Mirror. 

The two managers clashed midway through the first half in fiery scenes as both men had to be held back by their colleagues. Arsenal boss Arteta was incensed by Sadio Mane's flailing elbow in an aerial challenge on Takehiro Tomiyasu and remonstrated with the referee that the Liverpool forward should be punished.

That angered Klopp, who immediately berated Arteta before tempers flared on the sidelines, eventually leading to each manager being booked.

But despite Arteta being told he made a "mistake" in getting involved with his adversary, it is Klopp who has been cast as the "villain" - at least in the eyes of BBC pundit Garth Crooks.

"So it's like that then, is it Jurgen Klopp? I wondered what the touchline row was about with Mikel Arteta," Crooks began on BBC.

"It was clear from Klopp's post-match interview that he thought that Sadio Mane's challenge on Takehiro Tomiyasu was fair, but boy did he use the ensuing confrontation with Arteta to fuel the Anfield crowd."

"Liverpool were struggling until that moment and the only mistake Arteta made was getting involved with Klopp in the first place. The row ignited the crowd and Klopp knew it would."