Following a furious altercation with the officials at full time on Wednesday night, Michael Oliver sent Arne Slot out with a straight red card. Since then, the Premier League leaders have been unusually quiet. Mohamed Salah gave Liverpool a 2-1 lead in the 73rd minute with his 27th goal of the season, giving the impression that they were in charge of the last Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
It was not to be, though, as James Tarkowski scored a spectacular volley deep into stoppage time to give Everton a thrilling 2-2 draw in front of a frantic Gwladys Street End. Since then, a lot of discussion has focused on the refereeing calls and whether Arsenal is still in the running for the championship, particularly after three Liverpool players—Curtis Jones, Arne Slot, and assistant manager Sipke Hulshoff—seen red, casting doubt on their commitment.
With 14 important games left, Liverpool increased their advantage over the Gunners to seven points despite the chaos. And although it would seem strange that only Virgil van Dijk has spoken out about the dramatic ending to last night’s match, there’s a reason Liverpool has remained eerily silent: Slot was unable to perform his customary post-match media obligations.
Why Arne Slot Didn’t Speak To The Media After 2-2 Draw
The Dutchman couldn’t, even if he wanted to
Slot, more than most, undoubtedly had a lot to say following 90 minutes that illustrated just why the Merseyside derby very rarely lived up to its title as the ‘friendly derby’. However, the Dutchman’s dismissal meant that he was unable to speak to the media, even if he had wanted to. Ben Ransom, a reporter for Sky Sports, clarified:
“Both Arne Slot and his assistant were both shown red cards after the full-time whistle, so even if they wanted to do their press conference, they are not actually allowed to do so due to Premier League rules, which is a slightly perplexing situation after what was a tumultuous final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.”
No quotes to come from Arne Slot this evening as he's not allowed to do media stuff due to being sent off. Normally they'd put the assistant manager up for interview instead but, er, he got sent off.
— Lewis Steele (@LewisSteele_) February 12, 2025
Before the Toffees move to their new Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium for the 2025–26 season, this was the final of 120 Merseyside derbies to be played at Goodison Park. It’s also likely to go down in history. The Toffees will want to enjoy the moment as long as they can, but their neighbors need to put their differences aside as soon as possible.
John Heitinga, a former Everton defender, will captain the Reds when they play Wolves on Sunday afternoon. They are hoping to go back to winning ways after losing to Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup last time out. After that, they have a hectic February itinerary that includes trips to Aston Villa and Manchester City before hosting Newcastle United at Anfield for a pivotal stretch of the season.
