Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw by Everton in a thrilling Merseyside derby on Wednesday, but the Reds might be frustrated with referee Michael Oliver’s performance
Liverpool may feel aggrieved at Michael Oliver’s performance in the Merseyside derby on Wednesday, but stats show they generally fare well when he officiates their games.
In what was the ultimate nail-biter at Goodison Park, Everton snatched a dramatic last-minute draw with a sensational James Tarkowski thunderbolt deep in stoppage time, making the final derby at the old ground one for the history books. Everton nabbed an early lead through Beto just 11 minutes in, which Alexis Mac Allister quickly cancelled out four minutes later for the Reds.
Mohamed Salah then believed he had sealed the win for Liverpool with a goal mid-way through the second half, only to be denied by Tarkowski’s late heroics. Both of Everton’s goals were clouded by drama, including an excruciating three-minute VAR review confirming Tarkowski’s leveller amid cries of offside and debates over a possible foul on Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate.
The decision to award the free kick that led to Beto’s opener has also sparked debate, with ex-PGMOL boss Keith Hackett slamming it as “a huge error” in a post on X. “This was an incorrect award of a free kick that then resulted in Everton scoring their opening goal,” he wrote, before ripping into Oliver’s overall performance.
“There was NO foul. I counted at least four more where fouls were awarded and there was no offence. I do not think that this was Oliver’s best performance. Too many errors… I would not be happy with that effort by him.” He added: [Oliver] needs some coaching advice from the PGMOL.”
Despite the critique, Liverpool’s track record with Oliver, 39, is quite favourable. Before Wednesday’s heated derby – which ended with Curtis Jones, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Arne Slot, and [Liverpool assistant] Sipke Hulshoff all getting sent off after full-time – Oliver had only given one red card to a Liverpool player in 65 games.
In stark contrast, Oliver has shown eight reds to Arsenal players in 62 games, five reds to Manchester United players from 47 matches, and six to Everton stars over 60 games. Additionally, the referee has pointed to the spot for Liverpool more times (17) than for any other team, with Arsenal, for example, only being granted five penalties under his watch.
The quartet of red cards on Wednesday were brandished amid a clash on the pitch as tensions soared. Doucoure’s bold celebration in front of the opposing fans ignited tensions, prompting an incensed Jones to charge and push the midfielder. Players from both teams rushed to join the melee. Amidst the chaos, Liverpool boss Slot was sent off after aggressively shaking Oliver’s hand and reportedly venting his frustration over his decision not to award a foul in the lead-up to Everton’s equaliser.
Moments later, Slot’s assistant Hulshoff was also dismissed, which means both coaches are facing a one-match touchline ban. In his post-match interview, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk accused Oliver of losing control of the game.
“I think the referee had a big part in the game today in terms of certain challenges were given [as] a foul, and similar challenges [weren’t],” he told TNT Sports. “We saw how they celebrated the goal… they wanted to provoke our fans. Curtis didn’t think that was the right thing to do… I think the ref didn’t have the game under control in my opinion. I said it to him.”
However, Liverpool weren’t the only ones feeling aggrieved. Everton were furious when they were denied a penalty after the ball hit Konate’s hand in the box, and also believed that Conor Bradley was fortunate to avoid a second yellow for his tackle on Doucoure.
The result sees Liverpool move seven points clear of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League, while Everton leapfrogged West Ham into 15th place, now 10 points clear of the relegation zone.
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