The last-ever Merseyside derby at Goodison Park ended in chaos as four people, including Liverpool manager Arne Slot, were sent off after a wild scuffle following the final whistle.
The drama began when Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure celebrated in front of Liverpool’s away fans after James Tarkowski scored a last-minute equalizer in the eighth minute of stoppage time. Liverpool substitute Curtis Jones, upset by Doucoure’s actions, confronted him, leading to a heated brawl involving players, coaches, stewards, and even police officers.
Once things calmed down, referee Michael Oliver gave second yellow cards to both Doucoure and Jones, sending them off. Slot was then shown a straight red card for what appeared to be an aggressive handshake with the referee, while his assistant, Sipke Hulshoff, was also dismissed.
This fiery clash added four more red cards to the history of the fixture, which already had the most in the Premier League era.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk defended his team’s reaction, saying, “It was a big provocation from one player, and we reacted as a team.”
Everton manager David Moyes admitted, “It wasn’t the cleanest game of football—it was a bit of a throwback.”
With Everton moving to a new stadium next season, this chaotic match will go down as a fitting farewell to Goodison Park’s Merseyside derby history.
