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Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
The Liverpool captain talked about the post-match incidents following Wednesday’s 2-2 draw and said he felt referee Michael Oliver lost control of the game.
Liverpool’s 2-2 draw against Everton in the final derby at Goodison Park was a messy affair, scrappy and disjointed and marked by inconsistent officiating leading up to an Everton equaliser eight minutes into five minutes of stoppage time and a post-match scuffle.
That incident saw instigator Abdoulaye Doucouré beeline to taunt the Liverpool fans while the rest of his teammates gathered to celebrate. Curtis Jones then beelined for Doucouré and both saw red, as did Liverpool manager Arne Slot and assistant Sipke Hulshoff.
“We all know this is their cup final so they will do everything in their power to try and win against us,” Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said when asked about it after the match. “You see them score at the end and it’s obviously a big boost for them and it’s a blow for us.
“We all saw how they celebrated—they have the right to, but I think Doucoure wanted to provoke our fans and Curtis didn’t think that was the right thing to do. Obviously, you know what happens, but I didn’t think the ref had the game in control and said that to him.”
The red card for Slot meant he was barred from talking to the press following the match, and while a touchline ban of up to two matches is expected it won’t be made official until the incident and referee Michael Oliver’s match report are reviewed in the coming days.
In other post-match interviews, Van Dijk touched on the need, whatever happens with Slot’s red card and the PGMOL in the coming days, for the focus to turn quickly to Wolves and the chance at three points there no matter frustration over how the Everton match ended.
