Piers Morgan dubbed Liverpool fans 'pathetic' after they booed the national anthem before their side's clash with Brentford on Saturday evening.
'God Save the King' was played on the Anfield PA system on Saturday, as it was at all other English football grounds whose games coincided with King Charles' Coronation Day.
King Charles III and the Queen Consort were officially crowned at Buckingham Palace on Saturday.
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But the playing of the anthem was greeted with boos from thousands of fans, while chants of 'Liverpool, Liverpool' could be heard to drown out the anthem.
Morgan took to Twitter to express his disgust, retweeting a SportBible video along with the word "pathetic".
In a separate tweet, he then added: "Championing free speech doesn’t mean agreeing with everything you hear.
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"Liverpool fans are perfectly entitled to boo the anthem on the day of the coronation – just as I’m perfectly entitled to call them pathetic for doing so.
Jordan Henderson appeared to sing along with the anthem at Anfield, which prompted criticism from some Liverpool fans.
The Merseyside city has traditionally been anti-establishment and anti-royalist, dating back to the 1980s when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister and fuelled further by of the Hillsborough disaster. It has been a Labour stronghold for decades.
The Premier League did not make playing the national anthem mandatory for clubs on Saturday, but Liverpool released a statement in which they outlined their position – admitting fans could react in whatever way that felt natural.
The statement said: “Before kick-off and in recognition of the Premier League’s request to mark the coronation, players and officials will congregate around the centre circle when the national anthem will be played.
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“It is, of course, a personal choice how those at Anfield on Saturday mark this occasion and we know some supporters have strong views on it.”
Mo Salah's goal gave Jurgen Klopp's side a 1-0 win over Brentford in the game, to keep their hopes of an unlikely top four finish alive.
Topics: Anfield, Liverpool, Premier League
Dominic Booth