Everton and Liverpool played out a bad-tempered 2-2 draw on Wednesday that saw as many red cards as there were goals. In the dying moments of the Merseyside derby, James Tarkowski smashed in an equaliser for the home team at Goodison Park before all hell broke loose after the final whistle. Referee Michael Oliver sent off Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure for celebrating in front of the Liverpool fans before his rival Curtis Jones confronted the midfielder and was also dismissed.
![[Curtis Jones and Abdoulaye Doucoure fight after Everton's draw with Liverpool in the Merseyside derby]](https://static.standard.co.uk/2025/02/12/22/50/SEI239661901.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&width=960)
After this, the ref then sent off Liverpool boss Arne Slot and his assistant Sipke Hulshoff who were causing scenes on the pitch after the game. The FA has now explained why they were all sent off and is, by our reckoning, the first time there have been four sendings off in a single Premier League game. Here are some of the records over the years of sendings off in matches. From having researched this, this Merseyside derby saw the highest number of reds seen in one Premier League game, although it’s worth noting that all four sendings off were after the end of the game.
Three teams hold the distinction for receiving the most red cards in one Premier League game. Barnsley had three players sent off against Liverpool in 1998, a feat equalled by West Ham a year later. In addition to the four reds, there were 16 yellow cards. It is the only match in English football league history to have been abandoned in such a way. A mass brawl between Claypole and Victoriano Arenas in the country’s fifth tier saw the referee send off not just all 22 players but also the substitutes and the coaches on both sides.
