Arne Slot has been handed a two-man touchline ban for his comments to Michael Oliver after the Merseyside derby. The Liverpool boss approached the referee after James Tarkowski had scored a 98th-minute equaliser for Everton and shook his hand, but was shown a straight red card. It has now been confirmed that the sending off was for something Slot said, and he is now set to be in the stands for upcoming matches against Wolves and Aston Villa.
The Premier League said in a statement: "Liverpool head coach Arne Slot was dismissed at the end of the Merseyside derby for using offensive, insulting, or abusive language. “He is handed a two-match touchline ban as a result.". Slot will be allowed to return to the touchline for the crucial trip to Manchester City on February 23. Liverpool were furious that Tarkowski’s dramatic equaliser stood following a lengthy VAR review, as they argued Ibrahima Konate had been fouled in the box.
It was a chaotic conclusion to the last-ever Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, with Curtis Jones and Abdoulaye Doucoure both sent off after the full-time whistle. Doucoure celebrated in front of the Liverpool fans and Jones rushed over to confront him, sparking a brawl between both sets of players. After Slot had been shown a red card, his assistant Sipke Hulshoff was also dismissed, meaning former Everton defender John Heitinga is set to lead Liverpool against Wolves.
