Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho defended Jurgen Klopp after the Liverpool manager fumed at defender Dejan Lovren.

Klopp charged down the Old Trafford touch line to berate Lovren late in his side’s 2-1 defeat on Saturday.

The German avoided being sent off by Craig Pawson and Mourinho praised the referee for his decision.

“Probably you are not expecting my answer – I’m happy with the decision,” Mourinho told UK newspapers.

“Because he [Klopp] was not speaking against the referee. He was upset with a player and the same happened to me against Crystal Palace, where I was upset with my player and therefore they [the officials] understood that too.

“I think [fourth official] Martin Atkinson, after so many years of this, made the right decision. I saw it. He [Klopp] was very upset with his player and not at the referee.

“If you leave the technical area by a couple of metres – or in this case, 20 metres – but to speak to your own player and not to complain about the referee’s decision, they made the right decision.”

The result saw United open up a four-point lead in second on the table, while Liverpool fell to fourth.