Diego Simeone accepted he did not "stay calm" as he was sent off at Anfield on Wednesday, but the Atletico Madrid coach called on Liverpool to take action against supporters he clashed with.

In the aftermath of Virgil van Dijk's dramatic late header, which gave Liverpool a 3-2 win, visiting boss Simeone appeared to confront fans close to the Atletico dugout.

The Argentine was shown a straight red card for his role in the incident, although he suggested referee Maurizio Mariani had some sympathy for his position.

Simeone told Movistar of the Liverpool fans: "They've been talking about putting on a good show, but they insult you from behind the bench the whole game, and you can't say anything because I'm the coach.

"My reaction to the insult isn't justifiable, but you don't know what it's like to be insulted non-stop for 90 minutes.

"And of course, with the opponent scoring just in time, you turn around and they keep insulting you, and with the tension, what happens is what happens.

"The referee told me he understood, but I hope Liverpool can improve, and if they identify who did that, there will be consequences.

"There have been insults all match, including gestures, but I'm the one who has to stay calm and endure everything — the insults and gestures — because you're in a position where it's your turn."

Atletico had recovered from two goals down to level the match thanks to Marcos Llorente's double, only for Van Dijk's decisive goal to trigger the clash involving Simeone.

Since winning both legs against Liverpool in the last 16 in 2019-20 (1-0 at home, 3-2 away), Atletico have only managed one victory in their last nine games against English sides in the Champions League (D2 L6 – the win coming at Manchester United in March 2022).

And Liverpool are now the only team to have beaten Atletico in three consecutive European Cup/Champions League meetings.