Arne Slot and Michael Oliver’s row in full as lip reader uncovers what Liverpool boss stated
Liverpool boss Arne Slot was shown a red card for his post-match conduct in the Merseyside derby and a lip reader has now shed light on what he said to referee Michael Oliver
Arne Slot said “great game” to referee Michael Oliver before being shown a red card and told to “keep away” by Virgil van Dijk, according to a lip reader.
The final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park ended in disaster for Liverpool as chaos ensued after Slot’s team conceded a last-minute equaliser. James Tarkowski’s last-minute goal and red cards for Curtis Jones, manager Slot and his assistant Sipke Hulshoff marked a frustrating day for the Premier League leaders following a dramatic 2-2 draw and wild celebrations.
All three dismissals – along with one for Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure – occurred after the final whistle due to an on-field brawl sparked by Doucoure’s celebration in front of the away fans. Jones received a second yellow card for confronting and pushing the Mali international, but the reason for Slot’s red card was less clear.
It came after the Dutchman forcefully shook referee Oliver’s hand, though it was his two-word comment seconds earlier that could have also landed him in trouble. According to lip reading expert Jeremy Freeman, Slot said to Oliver, “Great game” as he approached him, reports the Mirror.
The official seemingly took that as sarcasm and promptly reached for his pocket. A shocked Slot then asked: “Sure, you give me a red for that?… I will check it out for later… me and you, yeah?”
Reds captain Van Dijk stepped in, pointing out that the problem was not Slot’s comment about a ‘great game’, but rather his robust handshake. He told the coach, “Hey, Michael… that was not a pull [of your arm]… Michael… it isn’t personal,” adding that his boss should “keep away”.On Thursday, it was reported that Slot would be hit with a two-match touchline suspension due to the altercation – however, the Premier League later performed an embarrassing U-turn and deleted this claim from its statement. It would have seen the Dutchman miss Liverpool’s crucial fixtures against Wolves and Aston Villa, unless an appeal was successful.
Sky Sports reported Slot was incensed by Oliver’s decision to not award Liverpool a free-kick in the build-up to Everton‘s equaliser at the death. It took the VAR crew over three minutes to ratify the goal as they examined a hairline offside situation and a possible shove on Ibrahima Konate by Everton striker Beto.
Liverpool had grievances concerning Everton’s first goal too, with some arguing Ndiaye dived for a free kick, which set up Beto for the match opener. However, Liverpool cancelled out this advantage only four minutes later through Alexis Mac Allister, and Mohamed Salah almost snatched the victory when he scored in the 73rd minute. But James Tarkowski with his powerful finish ensured both sides left with a point.Following the match, Van Dijk expressed his frustration with Oliver, claiming his decisions had a significant impact on the outcome. “I think the referee had a big part in the game today in terms of certain challenges were given [as] a foul, and similar challenges [weren’t],” he told TNT Sports.
Van Dijk also took issue with Doucoure celebrating in front of Liverpool supporters at full time, stating, “We saw how they celebrated the goal… they wanted to provoke our fans. Curtis didn’t think that was the right thing to do… I think the ref didn’t have the game under control in my opinion. I said it to him.”The outcome sees Liverpool extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table to seven points over Arsenal, while Everton have leapfrogged West Ham to claim 15th spot, crucially increasing the gap between themselves and the relegation zone to 10 points.
