LIVERPOOL: Arne Slot admitted “emotions got the better of me” after he was shown a red card following Liverpool’s fiery 2-2 Premier League draw against neighbors Everton in midweek.
Liverpool were on course to extend their lead at the top of the table to nine points at Goodison Park on Wednesday but James Tarkowski struck a stunning volley to level in the eighth minute of stoppage time.
Abdoulaye Doucoure’s wild celebrations in front of the away fans sparked a furious reaction, with Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones confronting Doucoure, leading to the dismissal of both men.
With some supporters on the pitch, stewards and police became involved before Liverpool boss Slot and assistant Sipke Hulshoff were also sent off by referee Michael Oliver.
Slot, whose team host struggling Wolves on Sunday, is now waiting for the Football Association to review Oliver’s match report before he finds out what, if any, sanction he will face.
He could face no further action, be reminded of his responsibilities, or be charged, which would likely result in a touchline ban.
The Dutchman told reporters on Friday there were “many things in extra (stoppage) time that led to me being quite emotional” but was unwilling to go into details about the incident.
“I think what happened was that the extra time, the intentional five minutes that ended up being eight... and the emotions got the better of me,” said.
“And if I could do that differently, if I look back at it, I would love to do it differently. I’m hoping to do it differently next time as well, but what has exactly been said or what has happened, there’s an ongoing process and I don’t want to disturb that.”
Slot, in his first season at Anfield, praised his team’s mental strength in the highly charged atmosphere at Everton, who are much improved in recent weeks under David Moyes, back at Goodison Park for a second spell.
“We’ve been praised so many times this season about how well these players can play, but they showed a different side of themselves on Wednesday, in my opinion also much better than the year before (a 2-0 defeat),” he said.
“They were mentally so, so, so strong during a game that was played maybe in the most difficult circumstances for them as well, and to stay strong together, to fight so hard, to be mentally so strong, that gives me a lot of confidence for the upcoming 14 games.
“I already knew how well they can play, but the togetherness they showed during the 98 minutes shows me that we are a very, very difficult team to beat.”
Moyes, speaking at his own press conference on Friday, expressed his sympathy for the Liverpool manager.
“I feel a bit for Arne Slot because this is the thing when I was a younger manager, I was always getting involved in heated things,” he said.
“It shows he cares about his club and he’s fighting for his players.”
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Liverpool’s Slot admits ‘emotions got the better of me’, explaining derby red card
Liverpool’s Slot admits ‘emotions got the better of me’, explaining derby red card
- Arne Slot admitted “emotions got the better of me” after he was shown a red card following Liverpool’s fiery 2-2 Premier League draw against neighbors Everton in midweek
The danger is real for Tottenham as specter of Premier League relegation looms
What’s been increasingly apparent to despairing Tottenham fans for some months is now suddenly clear for everyone: their team could genuinely be relegated from the Premier League.
Spurs have been regarded for some time as part of England’s so-called “Big Six” — so much so that they were involved in the quickly aborted Super League project in 2021 — but they aren’t playing like it, at least in the Premier League.
Last season, Tottenham finished in 17th place, one spot above the bottom three, but was never in realistic danger of relegation.
This season, the danger is real. Tottenham is in 16th place but just four points above the relegation zone with 11 rounds remaining and is the only team in the league without a win in 2026 heading into a match at Fulham on Sunday.
The only victories this calendar year have come in the Champions League, which Tottenham finished in the top eight after the first stage to advance directly to the round of 16.
Spurs — the Europa League winners last season — haven’t been able to reproduce their European exploits in the Premier League, with their shortcomings exposed in a 4-1 thrashing by fierce rival Arsenal last weekend. That was Igor Tudor ‘s first match in charge of Tottenham and it laid bare the scale of the task facing the Croatian, who replaced Thomas Frank at the helm.
Tudor has a long injury list to deal with — among the top players on it are James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Lucas Bergvall and Pedro Porro — as well as confidence issues within the squad. Do they have the stomach for a relegation battle?
Also going against Tottenham is the fact that third-to-last West Ham is showing more resilience in recent weeks, losing just one of its eight games in all competitions.
It doesn’t help, either, that while Spurs are at a low ebb, Arsenal is currently the top team in England.
Tottenham has been an ever-present in the Premier League since the competition was founded in 1992, and last played in the second tier in the 1977-78 season.
Key matchups
The title race resumes with first-place Arsenal at home to Chelsea. They recently met over two legs in the English League Cup semifinals and Arsenal won both games.
Manchester City is five points behind in second place, though has a game in hand, and is away to Leeds. That sees City striker Erling Haaland return to the city where he was born.
Players to watch
Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko will be looking to score in a third straight game when Crystal Palace visits Old Trafford. Sesko scored an equalizer against West Ham and then a winner at Everton, both times off the bench.
Out of action
Liverpool manager Arne Slot will hope for positive news about Germany playmaker Florian Wirtz, who missed the win at Nottingham Forest last weekend because of back pain.
Liverpool hosts West Ham on Saturday.
Off the field
It seems Crystal Palace and its manager, Oliver Glasner, are heading toward a messy break-up.
Glasner, who led Palace to its first ever trophy last season by winning the FA Cup, has already confirmed he’s leaving his job at the end of the season and has been non-committal about whether he would even be staying that long.
Fans held up a banner containing the words, “Fans disrespected — Glasner finished” during a match against Wolverhampton last weekend.
Spurs have been regarded for some time as part of England’s so-called “Big Six” — so much so that they were involved in the quickly aborted Super League project in 2021 — but they aren’t playing like it, at least in the Premier League.
Last season, Tottenham finished in 17th place, one spot above the bottom three, but was never in realistic danger of relegation.
This season, the danger is real. Tottenham is in 16th place but just four points above the relegation zone with 11 rounds remaining and is the only team in the league without a win in 2026 heading into a match at Fulham on Sunday.
The only victories this calendar year have come in the Champions League, which Tottenham finished in the top eight after the first stage to advance directly to the round of 16.
Spurs — the Europa League winners last season — haven’t been able to reproduce their European exploits in the Premier League, with their shortcomings exposed in a 4-1 thrashing by fierce rival Arsenal last weekend. That was Igor Tudor ‘s first match in charge of Tottenham and it laid bare the scale of the task facing the Croatian, who replaced Thomas Frank at the helm.
Tudor has a long injury list to deal with — among the top players on it are James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Lucas Bergvall and Pedro Porro — as well as confidence issues within the squad. Do they have the stomach for a relegation battle?
Also going against Tottenham is the fact that third-to-last West Ham is showing more resilience in recent weeks, losing just one of its eight games in all competitions.
It doesn’t help, either, that while Spurs are at a low ebb, Arsenal is currently the top team in England.
Tottenham has been an ever-present in the Premier League since the competition was founded in 1992, and last played in the second tier in the 1977-78 season.
Key matchups
The title race resumes with first-place Arsenal at home to Chelsea. They recently met over two legs in the English League Cup semifinals and Arsenal won both games.
Manchester City is five points behind in second place, though has a game in hand, and is away to Leeds. That sees City striker Erling Haaland return to the city where he was born.
Players to watch
Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko will be looking to score in a third straight game when Crystal Palace visits Old Trafford. Sesko scored an equalizer against West Ham and then a winner at Everton, both times off the bench.
Out of action
Liverpool manager Arne Slot will hope for positive news about Germany playmaker Florian Wirtz, who missed the win at Nottingham Forest last weekend because of back pain.
Liverpool hosts West Ham on Saturday.
Off the field
It seems Crystal Palace and its manager, Oliver Glasner, are heading toward a messy break-up.
Glasner, who led Palace to its first ever trophy last season by winning the FA Cup, has already confirmed he’s leaving his job at the end of the season and has been non-committal about whether he would even be staying that long.
Fans held up a banner containing the words, “Fans disrespected — Glasner finished” during a match against Wolverhampton last weekend.
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