Premier League explains why Arne Slot was shown red card as Liverpool boss dealt added punishment | OneFootball

The Premier League has now explained why Arne Slot was shown a red card by Michael Oliver in the immediate aftermath of Liverpool’s 2-2 draw against Everton on Wednesday night.

The last-ever Goodison Park derby was littered with controversial decisions, with Reds fans having legitimate grievances over the circumstances of the goals scored by Beto and James Tarkowski.

The LFC head coach couldn’t hide his frustration at full-time as he made a beeline for the referee and shook his hand vigorously before the official reached into his pocket to brandish the red card.

Premier League explains why Slot was shown a red card

Initially it appeared as though Slot was penalised for that action alone, but the Premier League’s official website has clarified why Oliver administered the sanction that he did.

It explains: ‘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.’

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Hard to blame Slot for feeling aggrieved

Red cards for managers typically carry a one-match suspension, but in this instance the 46-year-old’s actions have seen that punishment doubled, which means he won’t be in the technical area for the upcoming games against Wolves and Aston Villa.

At least the Premier League has now issued clarity on why Slot was shown a red card, not that the explanation will do much to alleviate Liverpool fans’ frustrations over the events at Goodison Park last night.

From giving a nonexistent foul against Ibrahima Konate on Iliman Ndiaye for the free kick from which Everton took the lead, to overlooking clear infringements on Mo Salah and the French defender in stoppage time, Oliver had the proverbial stinker on Merseyside.

It’s not hard to see why the Reds’ head coach was furious with the officials and why he wanted to give his two cents’ worth after the final whistle, but it appears that the nature of what he said to the whistler was inflammatory.

Unfortunately Liverpool will have to get by without Slot in the technical area for their next two games, but at least the 46-year-old can continue to have his usual level of input in other respects on matchday.

We’ve already won once this season without the boss on the touchline (he was banned for the Carabao Cup victory over Southampton in Decembr), so hopefully the players can repeat the trick against Wolves and Aston Villa over the coming week.