Liverpool head coach Arne Slot would not be drawn on two of the major talking points following Wednesday night’s huge 1-0 win over Everton in the Merseyside derby
Arne Slot brushed off complaints from Everton over Diogo Jota’s winning goal in the Merseyside derby. And the Dutchman also refused to be drawn on the controversial call that saw James Tarkowski avoid a red card for his X-rated challenge on Alexis Mac Allister.
Liverpool are now just 13 points away from a 20th domestic title courtesy of their 1-0 win at Anfield on Wednesday night. A second half goal from Jota put the game to bed, but there were calls for it to be chalked off as Luis Diaz was stood in an offside position in the build-up to the match’s defining moment.
Diaz did not interfere with play, though, and was back onside by the time he teed up Jota to steer the ball expertly beyond a sea of blue shirts and Jordan Pickford in the Everton goal.
David Moyes was not impressed after the match, but Slot insisted that the rules were followed by referee Samuel Barrot, telling Sky Sports: “It’s not easy to score against them. Great goal, according to the rules it was a goal so no one can complain about that.”
READ MORE: Premier League offer explanation on VAR red card controversy in Liverpool vs EvertonREAD MORE: James Tarkowski’s gesture to Alexis Mac Allister speaks volumes after VAR red card incident
When he was pushed on Everton’s complaints over the goal, Slot added: “There is always question marks, but the good thing is we’ve got rules. At least they just showed on TV that it’s a clear goal. I would be frustrated if I concede that goal, but then I’m frustrated about the rule and not the execution of the rule. The rule itself is frustrating because I think you always have to help, in my opinion, the offensive team.”
The other big talking point of the game was Tarkowski’s poor tackle on Mac Allister. The incident was checked by VAR official Paul Tierney after the Everton defender was only shown a yellow card initially.
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Former Premier League official Mike Dean was left in disbelief by the call and he wasted no in time in claiming that the decision was completely wrong.
Slot was asked how Mac Allister was after the tackle and replied: “Alexis is OK because he kept on playing. He’s used to something because he’s from South America.
“I think everybody has said something about it, so why should I add to it. It’s so obvious that it’s not necessary for me to comment. I’d prefer to talk about the goal or Curtis Jones’ performance or something else.”
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