LIVERPOOL, England — Liverpool’s head coach, Arne Slot, welcomed the recent admission by England’s officiating body regarding an incident involving Everton’s James Tarkowski during the highly charged Merseyside derby. The referees have acknowledged that a red card should have been given for Tarkowski’s aggressive challenge on Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister.
The contentious moment arose early in the match at Anfield on Wednesday when Tarkowski was penalized with a yellow card for a challenge deemed reckless by the Premier League. Despite a review from the video assistant referee (VAR), the yellow card decision remained unchanged.
Tarkowski did make contact with the ball; however, his tackle also connected with Mac Allister’s calf in a dangerous manner after the initial contact, raising questions about the severity of the tackle.
Reports from British media outlets indicate that PGMOL, the body governing referees, has since agreed that the yellow card should indeed have been escalated to a red due to the seriousness of the foul.
“It’s good that they acknowledged the mistake,” Slot commented during a press conference on Thursday, expressing his view that the incident was evidently a red card offense. “It was so clear,” he added, noting that many impartial pundits shared the same opinion.
Fortunately, Mac Allister managed to continue playing after receiving medical attention, and Liverpool ultimately secured a 1-0 victory. This win allowed the team to maintain a 12-point lead in the league standings with eight matches remaining in the season.