Liverpool manager Arne Slot explains red card against Everton: ‘The emotions got the better of me’ | OneFootball

Liverpool manager Arne Slot admitted the emotions of the Merseyside derby got the better of him but would not go into details of his red card against Everton on Wednesday night.

Slot was sent off by referee Michael Oliver after the final whistle following an intense hand shake, with the Liverpool manager furious at James Tarkowski’s equaliser coming after the 97th minute.

Only five minutes of added time had been signalled as Liverpool looked to close out victory at Goodison Park, and the Dutchman indicated that he sought an explanation for why the game continued.

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Slot was sent off after shaking hands with referee Michael Oliver at full-time (Getty Images)

Slot faces the possibility of an extended touchline ban but is set to take charge against Wolves at Anfield on Sunday while the Football Association weighs up whether to charge the Liverpool manager.

Under Premier League rules, Slot was banned from speaking on Wednesday night and said he would respect the process of the disciplinary process in his first comments since the “mayhem” of Goodison Park.

“I won’t go into details,” Slot said on Friday. “I think what happened was the extra time ended up being eight, it happens a lot, the emotions got the better of me, if I look back I would love to do it differently. There is an ongoing process and I will respect that.”

Liverpool led in the derby after goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah, and were heading towards a nine-point lead at the top of the table. But Everton duo Carlos Alcaraz and Jarrad Branthwaite clashed heads and required almost exactly two minutes of treatment, adding more time on to the five minutes already indicated by the fourth official’s board.

Slot suggested that he remains more upset with the amount of time played by referee Oliver rather than a shove on Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate from Everton forward Beto, which was also subject to a VAR review after Tarkowski blasted a volley into the net to spark wild scenes at Goodison.

“Many things happened in extra time that led to me being quite emotional,” Slot said. “There was a VAR review for two minutes and I thought, maybe the only thing that could happen is he looks back at the foul, or maybe it’s offside. Of course then, after 10 minutes you hear there fans cheering and you [realise] it’s not offside.

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Tarkowski’s late equaliser survived a VAR review (Getty Images)

“So many things happened in extra time but as I said it would not be smart to go into every incident.”

Curtis Jones was also sent off for pushing Abdoulaye Doucoure after the final whistle after the Everton player celebrated in front of the Liverpool fans. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk accused Doucoure, who was also sent off for a second yellow card, of “provoking” the away fans, as a mass melee between the players brought a chaotic end to the derby.

Jones will be suspended for Sunday’s game against Wolves but Slot would not criticise the 24-year-old as he said he had also made a mistake with how he reacted after full-time.

“I liked a lot that he stood up for the team, but I also think there are other ways for the team and the fans to do that,” Slot said. “I will talk to him about that. But it's the same for me. I should have acted differently after the game as well. It is an emotional sport and sometimes individuals with emotions make the wrong decisions. That is definitely what I did."

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Jones and Doucoure were also sent off after the final whistle (Getty Images)

Leaders Liverpool missed out on the chance to move nine points clear of Arsenal in the Premier League but Slot said he took pride in how his side stood up to the test of facing Everton in the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park to extend their lead over the Gunners in the title race.

Liverpool had lost their previous visit to Everton in April 2024, in a defeat that spelled the end of their title challenge under Jurgen Klopp, and Slot added that he was growth from his team and says they were “mentally much stronger” than last season.

"It felt immediately after the referee blew his whistle that we lost two points,” Slot said. “But during the 98 minutes, I didn't feel constantly that we were going to win the game. It felt like an equal game and the draw would've been a fair result. But with us leading after 96 minutes, we felt we were close to winning the game.

"But we won a lot on Wednesday as well, and what I mean by that is, when you look at the togetherness of the fans and the players and how much we fought together to get the result. We have been praised so many times this season for how well they can play, but the players showed a different side of themselves.

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Liverpool are seven points clear of Arsenal ahead of the weekend (Getty Images)

"In my opinion, it was much better than the year before. They were mentally so, so strong in a game that was played in the most difficult circumstances for them as well. It gives me a lot of confidence for the upcoming 14 games.

"We take a lot of positives from the game, but not football wise. We did not play our best game in terms of ball possession. I have to give credit to David Moyes as well. Since he came in, he has done a tremendous job and he made it a really hard game for us. But the players stood up.

"I did watch the game back from last season and we were mentally much stronger than last season. We went 1-0 down and came back to lead 2-1 until 97 minutes."