The end to the final Merseyside derby will live long in memory, although perhaps not for the right reasons.
After a chaotic finish - with James Tarkowski equalizing in the eighth minute of injury-time - emotions spilled over at the end of the game, with Michael Oliver repeatedly brandishing his red card. Initially, it was believed just Curtis Jones, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Arne Slot were dismissed, but Liverpool’s assistant coach Sipke Hulshoff brought that number up four red cards.
“The referee issued second yellow cards and red cards to Curtis Jones and Abdoulaye Doucoure following an altercation after the final whistle,” Premier League Match Centre wrote on X after the game. “Arne Slot and his assistant Sipke Hulshoff were also shown straight red cards after the final whistle.”
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It’s not clear exactly what Hulshoff was dismissed for, but both he and Slot were seen remonstrating with Oliver and presumably were dismissed for dissent. The Liverpool manager was furious that Tarkowski's late goal was allowed to stand given it was well over the five allocated minutes for injury-time and he felt there was a foul on Ibrahima Konate in the build-up.
Virgil van Dijk was critical of the referee after the game and claimed Oliver 'didn't have the game under control'. He also claimed Doucoure 'wanted to provoke' the Liverpool team.
