Arne Slot was left fuming with Michael Oliver after Liverpool drew in the Merseyside derby but has now thanked the referee after the Reds were able to celebrate the Premier League title with their own fans
Arne Slot has joked that he should thank Michael Oliver for allowing Liverpool to celebrate at Anfield with their own fans – which came about after they dropped two points late on at Everton.
In the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, the Toffees equalised in the eighth minute of stoppage time before carnage began at full-time. It resulted in Oliver sending off Curtis Jones and Slot after the Dutchman had gone to air his anger over some of the referee’s decisions.
While frustrating at the time, the point, rather than three, ultimately meant that the Reds were able to win the title on their own terms at Anfield. Had they won then they may have been crowned champions without playing or potentially on the road.
Slot was seething in the immediate aftermath of the Merseyside derby. It was alleged he said “I’ll f***ing blame you” if the Reds missed out on the title and he was subsequently handed a touchline ban, but the Dutchman has now seen the lighter side after becoming a champion in his debut season.
He told the Athletic: “There were a lot of things that were hard to take in that extra time. I am usually quite calm. But the whole situation meant it was not a place to be calm in. Their fans were very loud with it being the last derby at their stadium. In extra time, too, many things happened that were not OK. But we’re all human beings, we all make mistakes.
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“We’re talking about the foul on Mo, we’re talking about the foul on Ibou (Konate), we’re talking about the fourth official who tells me there are only 60 seconds to play after there was an injury for them where he then gave the ball to them when we had the ball. That meant they could put another long ball in. They scored after 80 seconds. I could feel that the referee was waiting for the moment when we would kick the ball away.
“But after 60 seconds he should have blown the whistle. That was a bit too much, even for me! It felt at that moment in time like we had dropped two very important points. Looking back at it now, we have to thank Michael Oliver because that late goal meant we could win the title in our stadium.”
When Liverpool were held by Everton, it saw the gap at the top reduced to seven points with Arsenal still harbouring hopes of chasing down the Reds. That never materialised with Slot’s side able to increase their lead as the Gunners continued to drop points.
Liverpool made light work of Tottenham last month before iconic scenes began at Anfield. The Reds were unable to properly celebrate their Premier League triumph in 2020 due to the Covid lockdown but jubilant scenes went on after they were crowned champions this term.
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