Jurgen Klopp has explained Liverpool’s spotless Merseyside derby record under him.
Klopp’s side make the short trip across Stanley Park for a 239th meeting with Everton on Wednesday in the first derby with fans present since late 2019.
The clash is still the most fiercely contested in the Premier League, with no fixture accumulating more red cards than the 22 meted out between them.
But the Reds have yet to see a player sent off in the six years since Klopp took charge, something which he attributes to their intricate style of play.
He said: “It’s a shame that I have to mention that but I think we were the first team in England (not to have a derby sending-off) in the last five full seasons.
“It’s obviously not a prize that somebody wants to win but it’s still the case.
“If you play high pressing and counter press, the plan is to win the ball. If we want to keep on playing like that, you don’t want to create a free kick or whatever.
“So that’s why it’s normal that we don’t make fouls really. It just interrupts our game.
“We want the ball in the right way.”
Rafael Benitez will be in the home dugout at Goodison Park to face the club where he is still warmly regarded for winning the Champions League in 2005.
The Spaniard became the first manager since 1892 to lead both of the city’s clubs when he was appointed as Carlo Ancelotti’s replacement last summer.
However Klopp insists that Benitez’s controversial decision to take the reins with a former local nemesis did not raise any particular eyebrows with him.
Asked whether he was surprised by Benitez’s move, he replied: “No.
“There are other derbies in the world. There are some special things in this derby, which probably no other derby has but I don’t know exactly why it is like that.
“Was I surprised? I can’t remember but I’m for sure not surprised anymore.”