Fans were left stunned when Darwin Nunez clashed with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola last week, but Liverpool team-mate Alexis Mac Allister has since explained what happened
Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister has revealed what was said during Darwin Nunez’s touchline spat with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola last week.
In what was a fiercely contested battle played out between two title challengers, City were held to a 1-1 draw at the Etihad. Erling Haaland’s goal was cancelled out by Trent Alexander-Arnold’s late equaliser, but it was what happened at full-time that had everyone talking when Nunez and Guardiola clashed.
Given what was at stake, tension was high throughout and threatened to boil over at the end. Nunez and Guardiola exchanged words in what looked like a heated altercation, which was only stopped from getting worse once Reds boss Jurgen Klopp intervened.
There was plenty of confusion among fans and pundits alike over what actually triggered the flash point, but Mac Allister has since shed light on the issue. “I imagine Jurgen didn’t understand anything (that was said) after the game, He asked me what I was saying to him, but it was nothing. It was something very minimal,” the Argentine told Clank!.
“As Jurgen said, they are two very emotional people, both Pep and Darwin, and it was nothing. Some comment that Pep made, Darwin responded to it, but it wasn’t anything out of this world. And that’s why I was laughing too. If I see how serious it is, obviously I wouldn’t laugh in that way. But nothing made me laugh a little like how Darwin got angry so quickly.
“And apart from that, at the beginning, Pep thought he was doing everything like a joke, and of course Darwin was with him. It had transformed his face a little then. It was kind of a little funny, the whole situation, but those are things that stay there. I think they both respect each other a lot, and nothing was wrong at that moment.”
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In the last knockings of the game, Haaland had a header flash past the Liverpool upright and very nearly hand City a winner right at the death. Mac Allister added that Guardiola made a comment on how the Reds were “lucky” to escape with a point.
He added: “Then it goes to the last bit of play, the ball is crossed into the middle and Lucho Diaz wants to head it and they save it. So then Darwin tells him (Guardiola), ‘ah, now you are the ones who are lucky’. From there, everything went to s***. But it was very calm. Nothing serious.”
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Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
