Explaining Liverpool and Everton suspensions following numerous red cards in the Merseyside derby

Liverpool were on the verge of securing a win against Everton when James Tarkowski stunned everyone with a powerful volley into the top corner of the net in the dying moments of stoppage time. His goal salvaged a point for the Toffees and sent Goodison Park into a frenzy of jubilation.

After a VAR check lasting more than two minutes, Oliver confirmed that the equaliser would stand. Tempers boiled over at the final whistle and the referee was given no option but to take action.

Who will miss Liverpool’s next Premier League game?

Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure was in the thick of it. His celebrations in front of the travelling Liverpool supporters were not appreciated by Reds substitute Curtis Jones, who angrily confronted Doucoure.

When the pair were finally separated and the ensuing melee calmed, Oliver issued both Doucoure and Jones with a second yellow card and subsequent red. They will both miss this weekend’s Premier League fixtures, which see leaders Liverpool take on Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton visit Crystal Palace.

Doucoure and Jones were perhaps fortunate not to receive straight red cards, but two of Liverpool’s management team weren’t let off the hook in the same way.

The Reds were unhappy with the outcome of the late VAR check, which cleared a possible offside in the build-up to Everton captain Tarkowski’s goal and did not suggest Oliver have another look at Beto’s challenge on Ibrahima Konate.

Get FourFourTwo Newsletter

The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Beto’s push was probably a foul but not so clear and obvious a miss by the officials that it warranted serious review. Liverpool were unsurprisingly furious and the Premier League later confirmed that assistant manager Sipke Hulshoff was shown the red card for his part in the angry protests.

Hulshoff was therefore unable to handle post-match press duties in place of manager Arne Slot, who was himself sent off after a very firm handshake with referee Oliver was apparently accompanied by a comment that crossed the line.

Slot and Hulshoff will now serve a touchline ban for the visit of Wolves on Sunday, with assistant coach and former Everton defender John Heitinga expected to lead the Liverpool team in their absence.

The next time Everton host the Merseyside derby it will be at their new stadium. They will leave Goodison Park, ranked at number 19 in FourFourTwo’s list of the best football stadiums in Britain, at the end of the season.

Tarkowski’s strike means Liverpool must settle for a seven-point lead over Arsenal at the top of the table before Premier League action returns this weekend.