Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk accused referee Michael Oliver of failing to control the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park as four red cards were issued amid wild scenes after the final whistle.
Everton rescued a point when James Tarkowski volleyed a 98th-minute equaliser, which came well beyond the five minutes of added time that had been signalled and survived two VAR reviews for offside and a potential foul.
Abdoulaye Doucoure’s provocative celebrations in front of the Liverpool fans prompted Curtis Jones to grab the Everton midfielder and sparked a melee between both sets of players and staff.
Both Doucoure and Jones were on yellow cards and were then sent off, as was Arne Slot, and his assistant Sipke Hulshoff, who protested against the decision to allow Tarkowski’s last-gasp equaliser to stand.
Van Dijk blamed the Everton midfielder for the chaotic scenes and also accused Oliver of losing control of proceedings.
“This is their cup final. We saw it last year, and this year it’s a big blow,” Van Dijk said, referring to the 2-0 defeat at Goodison in April last season.
“Doucoure wanted to provoke our fans. Curtis didn’t think that was the right thing to do. I think the referee didn’t have the game under control; I said that to him.
“It was a very big provocation from one certain player. We all saw it and reacted as a team as we were able to do so.
“You know what happens nowadays, it becomes one big tussle. Then it is not me who has to deal with it, it is the referee and today I am not sure he had it fully under control.”
The Liverpool captain admitted that “to concede an equaliser that late is always disappointing” but the Premier League leaders did extend their advantage over Arsenal in second place to seven points with 14 games remaining.
“We saw the celebrations they had in the end so we know how much it meant for them but the fact is it was disappointing for us,” he added. “We kept fighting but in the end it wasn’t enough to get it over the line.”
'It was fitting to have that ending'
David Moyes believed Everton deserved a point and said that the post-match melee should not detract from the togetherness his side had shown.
“It was mayhem all game, a bit of an old‑fashioned throwback,” Moyes said. “The bit after the game is not really what we should be talking about.
“I am disappointed with Doucoure getting a red because we are short of players as it is. But the place was boiling all night.”
The Everton manager was also happy that his team’s late response handed supporters a memorable final derby meeting at Goodison Park before they move to their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.
“It is hugely important that Evertonians get to finish at their stadium in the best way they can. The support in here was unbelievable tonight, incredible, and it is fitting they got an end like they did,” said Moyes, whose team moved ten points above the relegation zone.
“We didn’t win, which was the disappointing thing. It would have been hard to come here losing 2-1 and talking about it. Everyone stayed until the end, which was a magical moment. The bit of to-ing and fro-ing at the end probably added to the entertainment of the night.”
