Stefan Ortega brought down Luis Diaz for a penalty which Mohamed Salah scored
Alan Pardew has warned Stefan Ortega regarding his remarks about Liverpool, suggesting that such comments will likely provoke a reaction from Manchester City chiefs.
The City goalkeeper was on duty during Sunday's (December 1) encounter at Anfield, witnessing Arne Slot's side secure a 2-0 triumph over the current champions. Having been selected to start the match ahead of out-of-form Ederson, the German keeper made several crucial stops following Cody Gakpo's opener but gave away a penalty towards the end as he brought down Luis Diaz.
Mohamed Salah converted the penalty, consolidating Liverpool's lead just days after he had missed one against Real Madrid. Liverpool now have an 11-point lead over Pep Guardiola's team.
Guardiola himself interacted with Anfield's harmonious crowd as they sang 'you're getting sacked in the morning'. He flashed back six fingers, symbolising the six Premier League trophies bagged since arriving in Manchester in 2016.
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These post-match moments were a talking point for Ortega, who later attracted the ire of Liverpudlians with his relatively derogatory view of their city. Reflecting on his manager's response, he stated: "Someone told me before that this area [Liverpool] is probably not the best part in the UK. I think the manager reacted really well."
Pardew, weighing in on talkSPORT's The Final Word, branded the shot-stopper's comments as "stupid" and stated that he's bound to regret them eventually. "He shouldn't have said that, absolutely not," the ex-West Ham and Newcastle boss commented. "It's the frustration, the anger, the pressure. And then saying something stupid like that, he'll regret that.
Stefan Ortega gave away a penalty in Manchester City's 2-0 defeat to Liverpool
"And he's going to regret it quite soon because he'll be getting a few texts, and a few messages I'm sure onto his mobile phone from the hierarchy at his football club."
While he condemned Ortega's comments, he acknowledged the strain that City are currently experiencing, having suffered defeats in their last four league matches, might affect the goalkeeper.
"We can't hold him [Ortega] to court over that, it's a stupid error to say," the 63-year-old further added (via the Liverpool Echo). "It just goes to show you the depth of pressure that is on you as a Premier League player, Premier League manager.
"Pep coming out doing the six signal, and all that, it's all part of the process. It draws you out, this game. It brings out the best in you sometimes, but it can also bring out the worst in you."
Now with a nine-point lead over Arsenal in second place and Chelsea in third, Liverpool will return to action on Wednesday (December 4) as they head off to face struggling Newcastle United.
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