Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has brushed off his furious touchline clash with Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez, following his side's 1-0 victory at the Stadium of Light.
The Black Cats further dented the Reds' fast-fading title hopes, thanks to a controversial Darren Bent goal, his eighth of the season flying past goalkeeper Pepe Reina after taking a wicked deflection off a beach ball that had been thrown on to the pitch by a Liverpool fan.
Things got heated in the second half when Benitez complained about the length of time for which Kenwyne Jones was receiving treatment on the field, drawing a furious response from Bruce, with the two managers embroiled in a heated debate on the touchline. Both Jones and Lee Cattermole were carried off injured in a robust second half.
Bruce did not think much of the incident, but conceded, with the benefit of hindsight, he probably should not have confronted his rival manager.
"It was handbags. It's all over, it's done," Bruce said, according to The Daily Mirror.
"You do things in the heat of the moment which, when you look back at it, you think, 'Maybe I shouldn't have done that', but there you go."
Benitez suggested that the Sunderland boss had inflamed the situation.
The Spaniard said: "I didn't have any argument with him [Bruce]. I was just asking for time because three or four times they were on the ground - in 10 minutes, three or four times, the game was stopped.
"I was talking with the fourth official and he [Bruce] was coming and he wanted to argue with me.
"I was surprised because I was talking with the fourth official about the time."
Bruce insisted that the curious nature of Bent's goal should not overshadow his team's impressive performance. Sunderland outplayed Liverpool for the majority of the match, and striker Bent could easily have picked up a hat-trick on another day.
Bruce said: "I thought we deserved it, I hope that's not just going to be the headline [the goal].
"In the second half, we had three one-on-ones - Darren [Bent] went round the goalkeeper twice, he hit the post and Reina got back and made a great save, Steed [Malbranque] had a wonderful chance and I was just thinking, 'We need to take the second one'.
"But my goalkeeper [Craig Gordon] only had one save to make - it was a good one - and overall, I thought we thoroughly deserved the victory."
Bruce said of the goal: "Listen, I thought it was a deflection off a player. I have to say when I have just seen it there, if anybody knew that rule - that it is supposed to be a drop ball - then you are a saddo.
"They have got it on telly with the guy who threw it on and it's got Liverpool crests all over it. What a shame."
The Black Cats further dented the Reds' fast-fading title hopes, thanks to a controversial Darren Bent goal, his eighth of the season flying past goalkeeper Pepe Reina after taking a wicked deflection off a beach ball that had been thrown on to the pitch by a Liverpool fan.
Things got heated in the second half when Benitez complained about the length of time for which Kenwyne Jones was receiving treatment on the field, drawing a furious response from Bruce, with the two managers embroiled in a heated debate on the touchline. Both Jones and Lee Cattermole were carried off injured in a robust second half.
Bruce did not think much of the incident, but conceded, with the benefit of hindsight, he probably should not have confronted his rival manager.
"It was handbags. It's all over, it's done," Bruce said, according to The Daily Mirror.
"You do things in the heat of the moment which, when you look back at it, you think, 'Maybe I shouldn't have done that', but there you go."
Benitez suggested that the Sunderland boss had inflamed the situation.
The Spaniard said: "I didn't have any argument with him [Bruce]. I was just asking for time because three or four times they were on the ground - in 10 minutes, three or four times, the game was stopped.
"I was talking with the fourth official and he [Bruce] was coming and he wanted to argue with me.
"I was surprised because I was talking with the fourth official about the time."
Bruce insisted that the curious nature of Bent's goal should not overshadow his team's impressive performance. Sunderland outplayed Liverpool for the majority of the match, and striker Bent could easily have picked up a hat-trick on another day.
Bruce said: "I thought we deserved it, I hope that's not just going to be the headline [the goal].
"In the second half, we had three one-on-ones - Darren [Bent] went round the goalkeeper twice, he hit the post and Reina got back and made a great save, Steed [Malbranque] had a wonderful chance and I was just thinking, 'We need to take the second one'.
"But my goalkeeper [Craig Gordon] only had one save to make - it was a good one - and overall, I thought we thoroughly deserved the victory."
Bruce said of the goal: "Listen, I thought it was a deflection off a player. I have to say when I have just seen it there, if anybody knew that rule - that it is supposed to be a drop ball - then you are a saddo.
"They have got it on telly with the guy who threw it on and it's got Liverpool crests all over it. What a shame."
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