Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk questions referee Michael Oliver after Goodison Park brawl and slams Everton midfielder for 'very big provocation'

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk called out Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure for sparking an on-pitch brawl as the Merseyside Derby descended into chaos. James Tarkowski scored a 98th-minute equaliser for Everton and Van Dijk reckons Doucoure incited a post-match melee which saw four people sent off. Arne Slot, his assistant Sipke Hulshoff and Curtis Jones joined Doucoure in seeing red. The Everton midfielder ran over to the away end and Van Dijk said: ‘You saw they celebrated the goal, they have every right to. Doucoure wanted to provoke our fans. Curtis didn't think it was the right thing to do. The referee didn't have the game under control. I said it to him.

‘It was a very big provocation from one player. We all saw it and reacted as a team as we were able to do. 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.’. Some fans entered the field of play as pandemonium ensued in the last seconds of the final Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park and the post-match scene saw a huge brawl between players and staff.

Beto had put the Toffees ahead after 11 minutes but Alexis Mac Allister soon equalised. Mohamed Salah scored a scrappy 73rd-minute goal and Liverpool were heading nine points clear before Tarkowski’s late intervention. Virgil van Dijk accused referee Michael Oliver of losing control of the Merseyside derby after he sent four people off. A brawl broke out after the final whistle following Everton's 98th-minute equaliser.

Van Dijk believes Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure sparked the brawl with his 'very big provocation' after he celebrated in front of the Liverpool fans. The late goal made it four league games in a row without defeat for David Moyes, who said: ‘The emotions were running high all night, the stadium was at fever pitch. You could see what it meant to fans at the end of the game, the crowd was rocking. It was one of the big nights.

‘If you'd have given (the start) to me before I came in I'd have taken it all day. We've got a long way to go, there's so much we can do to improve greatly and try to get back to the levels I believe we can get back to. ‘Hopefully the light is shining on us if we can get through this season and the new owners come in and help us build a new team and a new better level of performances from Everton.’.

On the red card to Doucoure, Moyes said: ‘I didn't see it from where I was. I have had a chance to see it and I'm disappointed because Doucoure played really well tonight and I'm going to now lose him because he's got a second yellow card which turned into a red.’. Due to the red cards, Slot was not allowed to do his post-match media duties. Normally in these circumstances, clubs would put up the assistant manager for an interview but Hulshoff was also sent off. Johnny Heitinga is set to take the team on Sunday against Wolves.