Conte accuses Klopp of looking for 'excuse or an alibi' after criticism of Spurs

Antonio Conte has hit back at Jurgen Klopp for the German's comments about Tottenham Hotspur's style of play on Saturday.

Title-chasing Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw by Spurs, a result that allowed Manchester City to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to three points after their 5-0 thrashing of Newcastle United on Sunday.

Klopp took aim at Spurs' tactics after the match at Anfield, saying: “I don’t like this kind of football, but that is my problem. I cannot coach it.” He has since backtracked, admitting he should not have made the comments but that "they felt good in the moment" after dropping two vital points.

But Conte has now dismissed the criticism as the German looking for "excuse or an alibi" after a frustrating draw. “Jurgen is an intelligent person, very clever,” the Italian coach said.

“He was a bit frustrated after the game, but at the same time for every coach it is important to learn to be focused on your team, not the opponent. It means you want to find an excuse or an alibi because your job didn’t work or something was wrong.

“I have respect for Jurgen and I know he respects me a lot and this is a good chance for him and me to learn that during the game you never have to speak about your opponent. It is important to be focused on your team.

“Honestly, for the coach it is not simple after the game, you have to try to keep your head cool.

“Sometimes it is not easy and many times if you remember this season I was disappointed with the result and myself and my players.

“When we lost against Burnley [1-0 at Turf Moor in February] if you remember I gave to myself the fault of the defeat. Sometimes we are a bit frustrated, especially at the end of the season when a bad result can change an