The Premier League has released a statement following the heated altercation between Everton and Liverpool players after the Merseyside derby, with police expected to launch an investigation.
The chaos erupted after Everton defender James Tarkowski scored a dramatic injury-time equalizer, securing a 2-2 draw. As soon as the final whistle blew, Abdoulaye Doucoure ran toward the Liverpool fans and gestured provocatively, prompting Curtis Jones to react by shoving him. This led to a large scuffle involving players from both teams.
Referee Michael Oliver responded by issuing second yellow cards to both Jones and Doucoure. Liverpool manager Arne Slot was also sent off after aggressively shaking Oliver’s hand, though it remains unclear if he made any inflammatory remarks.
Following the incident, the Premier League posted an official statement via its Match Centre Twitter account, confirming the dismissals but not explaining the reasons behind them. The statement read:
“The referee issued second yellow cards and red cards to Curtis Jones and Abdoulaye Doucoure after the final whistle. Arne Slot and his assistant Sipke Hulshoff were also shown straight red cards after the final whistle.”
Due to their red cards, Slot and Hulshoff were unable to attend a post-match press conference—a situation that may have spared the Liverpool boss from addressing the game’s fiery conclusion.
Meanwhile, on-duty police officers had to step in to separate the players. Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has stated that Merseyside Police are likely to investigate, particularly after an object, reportedly a bottle, was thrown from the crowd and appeared to hit Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford during the brawl.
Hackett told Football Insider: “Both teams will be charged for failing to control their players, and we will see the result of that later today. There will also be a police investigation into who threw the bottle. They will be reviewing video footage this morning to identify the culprit.”
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