Liverpool boss Arne Slot got red card from Michael Oliver after the full-time whistle. A lip reader has revealed what he said to the referee before things went down. The Merseyside derby match against Everton went horribly wrong for Slot’s Liverpool. Everton star James Tarkowski’s dramatic last-minute goal ended the match nightmarishly for Arne and his team.
Adding fuel to the fire, the red cards for the manager, his assistant Sipke Hulshoff, and midfielder Curtis Jones increased the frustration of Liverpool fans. While Jones was sent off for pushing Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure after the full game, the reason for Arne’s red card wasn’t very clear.
He was spotted shooking referee Michael Oliver’s hand forcefully after making a short comment, which likely got him in trouble. So what did he exactly say? Lip reading expert Jeremy Freeman revealed that Slot approached Oliver and said, “Great Game.” However, given Liverpool’s state at that time, the referee took it as sarcasm and instantly reached for the red card. The Dutchman was visibly shocked by the official’s decision. “Sure, you give me a red for that? I will check it out for later, me and you, yeah?” The slot hit back, according to the lip reader.
Liverpool captain Virgil Van Dijk was then spotted coming to his manager’s rescue. He interrupted the heated moment, further suggesting to Arne that it wasn’t the forceful handshake but rather his “great game’ comment that issued the red card. According to Freeman, Dijk said, “Hey, Michael, that was not a pull…Michael, it isn’t personal.” The captain tried his best to prevent further damage, advising his boss to “keep away,” as revealed by the lip reader.
The moment Arne Slot was shown a red card by Michael Oliver 👀 pic.twitter.com/e3IQvxM70N
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 12, 2025
Meanwhile, this incident has landed Arne Slot in great trouble. He is now facing a two-match touchline ban, which means he will be in the stands for his team’s upcoming games against Wolves and Aston Villa.
Sky Sports reported that before the intense face-off with Oliver, Slot was already pissed over the referee not giving a free-kick to Liverpool, and shortly after, Everton drew the match with a smashing goal. Even Van Dijk accused the official of “losing control of proceedings.” He claimed that his decisions cost Liverpool three points. While taking to TNT Sports, the captain lashed out, “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].”
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He noted that the way Everton celebrated their equalizing goal was solely to “provoke” the Liverpool fans. Van Dijk stated that referee Michael Oliver didn’t have the game “under control,” leading to many unexpected incidents.
