Liverpool fans are convinced that referee Michael Oliver missed a "blatant" foul on Mohamed Salah before Everton equalized in Wednesday's heated Merseyside derby.
As the game entered the 91st minute, Salah went down after being tripped on the edge of the penalty area by Everton midfielder Carlos Alcaraz, but Oliver allowed play to continue. Salah protested in frustration, not only because he was convinced that it was a foul, but also as the free kick would have been in a great position for Trent Alexander-Arnold to attempt an effort on goal.
Liverpool was leading 2-1 at the time, but ended up conceding in the final minute as Everton defender James Tarkowski fired a volley into the roof of the net. It sparked chaos at Goodison Park as Everton fans celebrated a dramatic ending, but Liverpool fans were furious that they'd been denied a goalscoring opportunity minutes earlier.
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"Well done lads you did all you could to keep the title race alive tonight," one fan fumed on X when slating the officials. "Disgraceful this bloke. How he is allowed to officiate anything above Sunday league football is above me," another added when referencing Oliver.
"How was this not a foul on Salah? Michael Oliver is a clown," one fan said. "Blatant foul from the Everton defender here on Mohamed Salah. Everton went on to score moments after," one supporter claimed after sharing a replay of the incident.
Salah was moments away from being the hero on Wednesday, as his goal after 73 minutes looked like being the winner. Everton initially took the lead after Beto scored inside 11 minutes, but Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister equalized five minutes later.
The frantic start came to a standstill midway through the first half, as the two rivals entered a more physical battle. Five players were shown yellow cards in the first half, and the controversial ending led to three red cards being produced after the game.
Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure sparked a brawl between both teams after rushing over to the traveling Liverpool supporters, and was confronted by Reds' midfielder Curtis Jones. Both players had been booked inside 90 minutes, and were sent off for their behavior after the final whistle.
With the trip on Salah being missed, and Liverpool believing that defender Ibrahima Konate had been fouled in the build-up to Tarkowski's late equalizer, head coach Arne Slot was furious at fulltime. After seeing Jones being sent off, Slot aggressively shook Oliver's hand and appeared to say something to the official.
Slot was then shown a straight red card, meaning he was forced to leave the field of play and skipped postgame media duties. Slot will now face a touchline ban and won't be able to communicate with his team from the sidelines on Sunday, when Liverpool host Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield.
The late drama saw Liverpool's nine-point lead at the top of the Premier League table reduced to seven points, with Arsenal being handed a major boost. Liverpool will look to return to winning ways at home to Wolves, but with no Slot or Jones, things will be more difficult.
