Slot Criticises Offside Rule Following Liverpool’s Victory Over Everton, Remains Silent on Tarkowski

Liverpool’s head coach, Arne Slot, expressed his disagreement with the offside rule after Diogo Jota’s goal secured a 1-0 victory over Everton on Wednesday. Nevertheless, he conceded that the correct decision was reached.

Jota netted the sole goal just before the 60-minute mark at Anfield, allowing Liverpool to establish a 12-point advantage at the summit of the Premier League table.

While Luis Diaz was in an offside position when James Tarkowski intercepted a pass intended for him, Diaz seized the loose ball and assisted Jota, who scored his first goal since January.

Everton’s manager, David Moyes, voiced his frustration at losing a derby match due to what he deemed a “clearly offside goal”.

Nonetheless, Slot maintained that the officials made the correct call according to the regulations, as Tarkowski had intentionally played the ball.

“It was not offside based on the current rules,” Slot stated. “Do I support the rule? Absolutely not; I despise it. But fortunately, the application of the rule was correctly executed in our favour today.”

This goal was the second contentious decision in the match, following a controversial moment when Tarkowski escaped a red card for a reckless challenge on Alexis Mac Allister just 11 minutes in.

Referee Samuel Barrott issued a yellow card to the Everton captain but did not refer his decision to VAR for further review.

Slot chose not to weigh in on this incident, noting that many others had already expressed their opinions about the challenge.

Former Manchester United skipper Gary Neville referred to it as a “leg breaker” while providing analysis during the match.

Moyes even conceded that Tarkowski was fortunate to remain on the pitch, stating, “Having seen the replay, we might have been lucky not to receive a red card.” He added, “It appeared to be high. The follow-through looked particularly bad.”