Liverpool could hear referees singing, partying and drinking after they lost Champions League final

Jurgen Klopp’s assistant, Peter Krawietz, has revealed he could hear referees ‘singing, partying and drinking’ in the aftermath of the club’s Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid in 2018.

The Reds were beaten 3-1 by Madrid in Kiev, following two horrendous mistakes from goalkeeper Lorius Karius, and Krawietz has admitted he was surprised by the response of the officials.

‘In Kiev, the dressing room was like a sick bay,’ he told The Athletic. ‘Imagine that you get in there and one guy has already been to the hospital and is now back, in pain and crying. And then you hear your opponents celebrating. And in the dressing room next door, the referees are celebrating as well.’

The Reds buried the ghosts of Kiev by conquering Europe for a sixth time in July 

Krawietz has been a key part of Klopp’s backroom staff since their days at Borussia Dortmund

‘I don’t know why, but they were singing and partying, with a case of beer. For us, it was awful. Finding the right reaction is tough. But that’s all part of it.

‘You have to show strength and greatness in defeat. And the right reaction. ‘Yes, they really hurt us, but they haven’t knocked us out. We’re down, but it’s not over.’

Liverpool bottled up the disappointment of that night and bounced back to win the trophy for the sixth time in their history with victory over Tottenham in June.

Krawietz believes the character the club’s players showed in overcoming that painful defeat in Kiev was the key factor behind last season’s success. 

‘It’s about drawing strength, determination and the readiness to fight – even more than before, if that’s possible,’ he continued.

‘That’s what this is about, as far as we’re concerned. The minute such a bad defeat comes along, that’s the big challenge, the big stress test. They passed it. We saw that the team were ready to go again. That helped us a lot ahead of the 2018-19 season.’