FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FA Cup - Fourth Round - Plymouth Argyle v Liverpool - Home Park, Plymouth, Britain - February 9, 2025 Liverpool manager Arne Slot before the match REUTERS/David Klein/ File Photo
(Reuters) - Liverpool manager Arne Slot said emotions got the better of him when he was asked what led to his sending off following Wednesday's chaotic finish to their 2-2 Premier League draw at Everton.
Referee Michael Oliver showed Slot a red card after the manager shook his hand, following James Tarkowski's stoppage-time equaliser for Everton at Goodison Park that left leaders Liverpool seven points ahead of second-placed Arsenal.
A heated scuffle had also broken out between the two teams following Tarkowski's goal that led to Everton's Abdoulaye Doucoure and Liverpool's Curtis Jones being sent off shortly before Slot's red card.
"The extra time that was five minutes and ended up being eight, happens a lot. And the emotions got the better of me," Slot told reporters on Friday. "If I look back at it, I would love to do it differently."
The manager refused to divulge if he had said something to the referee that led to the red card.
"That is (an) ongoing process now and I think I have to respect that, so I can't go into details," he said.
Everton are 15th in the table and edging clear of the relegation battle but Slot said the derby had felt like an even contest.
"A draw would have been, maybe, a fair result. But with us leading after 97 minutes, it felt as if we were quite close to winning the game, so it felt like we dropped two points," he added.
Liverpool, who are unbeaten in the league since September, will face a difficult fight to the finish line in the title race, Slot said ahead of hosting relegation-threatened Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.
"The second half of the season is always more difficult than the first for many reasons. Some teams bring in new players, some teams are playing longer together," he said.
"Some teams bring in new managers, like Everton... and the one at Wolves has made them better as well."
Wolves, 17th in the table and just two points above the drop zone, snapped a four-match losing streak in the league when they beat Aston Villa earlier this month, and have won five of their 10 matches in all competitions since new manager Vitor Pereira took over in December.
With injuries already ruling out defender Joe Gomez and midfielder Tyler Morton, Liverpool may also be without Dutch forward Cody Gakpo this weekend, Slot said.
"Cody is a bit of a doubt. I had to take him off due to an injury because he got a knock. Let’s see how he is today,” he said.
"So it is going to be a challenge again on Sunday but that is normal on the last part of the season in the best league of the world."
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
