Referee Michael Oliver has come under fire from Virgil van Dijk for his actions during Wednesday night’s 2-2 draw between Liverpool and Everton. With the Toffees scheduled to depart the stadium following the 2024–2025 season, the two teams faced off in the final Merseyside Derby ever held at Goodison Park. There was a lot of drama that continued until the final whistle, so the contest lived up to the hype.
Before goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah appeared to have turned things around and given Liverpool all three points, Beto gave the home team the lead early on. However, James Tarkowski, the captain of the Toffees, salvaged the day in the closing seconds of the match with a fierce shot that denied Alisson a chance to tie the score.
Following the final whistle, there was a lot of drama as players and coaches got into a fight and Oliver sent out four red cards. However, Van Dijk made sure to express his displeasure with the referee in an interview after the game.
Van Dijk Claimed Oliver Played a Part in the Result
He insinuated the ref wasn’t consistent with the fouls he gave
Van Dijk was quick to comment on Oliver’s performance during the derby and asserted that the referee had contributed to the outcome in his post-match remarks. He stated in an interview with Sky Sports:
“I think the referee had a big part in the game today in terms of certain challenges were given as a foul and then similar didn’t.”
The center back might have been alluding to an incident that happened minutes before Everton equalized, in which Salah looked to have been fouled in the Toffees’ half, but there was no free kick awarded. After that, they scored the final goal to earn a point.
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On social media, Liverpool supporters quickly expressed their own ire over the event. “Disgraceful this bloke,” one supporter wrote in a remark on X (Twitter) on the video. I don’t understand how he’s permitted to officiate anything other than Sunday league football.
One fan concurred, writing on social media, “That’s not inept, that’s corruption.” A third advocate finally remarked, “That one was mad.”
