James Milner and Jurgen Klopp once almost came to blows in the dressing room after the Reds drew 2-2 against Sunderland, according to former Liverpool defender Ragnar Klavan.
Jermaine Defoe scored two penalties in January 2017 to erase goals from Sadio Mane and Daniel Sturridge.
Liverpool were seeking the title and wanted to end an almost 30-year-old drought without a top division win.
Klopp, who is well-known for showing his emotions, was upset that the referee had given the full-time whistle.
Speaking to Estonian football podcast Betsafe Eesti Podcast, Klavan has revealed that Milner and Klopp squared up to each other in the dressing room.
“The biggest pressure was around Christmas and at the beginning of January,” Klavan said of the title race.
“And it was his mistake in the box that gifted the Black Cats the first of their two penalties during the clash.
“I don’t know who we played against that time. Perhaps it was against Sunderland away.
“Klopp and James Milner almost started a physical fight. It was the period when there was Boxing Day in England, and they almost started fighting, but eventually, Milner stepped back.”
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Milner was the captain that day, with Jordan Henderson out injured.
After 45 minutes, Milner was substituted for Jordan Henderson at midfield and was moved to left-back.
Klavan did however last for the full 90 minutes and was paired with Dejan Lovren in central defense.
“We saw from his eyes that Klopp would have gone all the way just to prove his point. It was the most stressful time for him as well,” Klavan continued.
“It’s not supposed to be easy, but if you don’t deliver against a team like Sunderland, then you can forget about the places you had hoped for.”
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The Reds’ form suffered in January. They failed to win four league matches, including one at home to Swansea. They were then eliminated from the FA Cup as well as the Carabao Cup.
Champions League football was won on the last day of the campaign, after January’s poor form had eliminated them from the title race.
Klopp’s team has gone from strength-to-strength since then and, despite losing in 2017 the Champions League final, they won the showpiece the next year.
Liverpool was also able finally to win the 2020 Premier League crown.
(Image: GETTY)
But Klavan wasn’t there to witness the title celebrations.
After 39 appearances, the Estonian defender was sold by Klopp in 2018.
The 35-year-old moved to Cagliari, in the Serie A, for £2million, £3million less than Klopp had paid for him in 2016.
Over the summer, the Estonian moved to Cagliari in Serie A for PS2million. This is PS3million less than Klopp paid for him in 2016.