“People jumped on it” – Andy Robertson recollects his decision that caused ‘huge drama’ after Liverpool loss

Liverpool defender Andy Robertson, unfortunately like any modern-day footballer, is no stranger to social media insults. He was also a victim of the same following the Reds' 2-0 loss to Napoli in the Champions League in 2019. During a recent interview with The Athletic, the Scotsman recalled how he reacted to the incident and the drama it created at the time.

It was during the group stage of the 2019-20 Champions League campaign when Liverpool traveled to Italy to take on Napoli on September 17. With the game level at 0-0 heading into the 80th minute, Robertson was penalized for bringing down Jose Callejon in the box. It resulted in a spot kick which Dries Mertens converted.

The home side then scored again in injury time. Fernando Llorente capitalized on a Virgil van Dijk error to send the ball into the back of the net and secured a 2-0 triumph for his side.

Being the villain of the proceedings, Robertson faced a major backlash from supporters, including a lot of abuse and threats, especially on his Twitter page. The defender eventually deactivated his account on the platform, which led to even more drama.

The 28-year-old fullback told The Athletic:

“I wanted to delete Twitter. I didn’t want to deactivate it but I ended up deactivating and causing this huge drama, which obviously was a disaster for me. But you know, at the time, I felt there was far too much negativity on Twitter. I still believe Twitter can be more negative than positive."

He added:

“After the Napoli game, there was obviously a lot of hate on there. People jumped on it. That’s part and parcel of football, but why is that? Why is that accepted?"

The Liverpool defender added that he is cool with people criticizing his performance. However, this is not the case when they start threatening, wishing him evil or bringing his family into the drama.

He explained:

“I don’t mind if we make mistakes and people say, ‘Ah, you cost us the game’. But when people start calling your personality out or wanting you to have a career-ending injury or start saying things about family members – which some of the lads have had before — that’s not OK."

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Andy Robertson still a vital figure for Liverpool

Andy Robertson overcame the situation to keep his career in flying shape

Despite the incident, the defender has only risen from strength to strength at Liverpool. He has established himself as an untouchable figure on the left wing of the defense.

The Scotsman joined Liverpool from Hull City in 2017. He has featured in 224 matches for the club so far, scoring eight goals and providing 52 assists.

Last season, Robertson made 47 appearances for the Reds across all competitions, recording three goals and 15 assists to his name. He'll be looking forward to maintaining his level of impact at the club next season.