Disgraceful Goodbye to Goodison Park: Violent Brawl, Four Red Cards, and a Stolen Flag
Shameful farewell to Goodison Park: brutal brawl with four sent off and a flag stolen Slot, his assistant, Doucouré and Curtis Jones were sent off after Tarkowski's goal in the 98th minute
The last ‘Merseyside derby’ at Goodison Park had an embarrassing ending. Everton, who will open a new stadium next season, managed to salvage a draw against Liverpool (2-2) thanks to a goal from James Tarkowski in the 98th minute.
What followed was simply shameful. During the chaos, a fan stole the corner flag. The goal had to be reviewed by VAR – Konaté complained of having been impeded – and Abdoulaye Doucouré’s effusive celebration in front of the Reds’ supporters immediately after the match sparked the wrath of Curtis Jones.
The two got into a brawl that led to a scuffle . Both the police and the stewards were forced to intervene and, finally, the referee, Michael Oliver , opted for a Solomonic decision: he showed a second yellow card to both Curtis Jones and Abdoulaye Doucouré.
They were not the only ones to be sent off. Oliver showed two more red cards after the match was over. The most surprising was Arne Slot, who was sent off just after shaking the referee’s hand.
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“We all know this is their Cup final”
His assistant, Sipke Hulshoff, will also be missing this weekend against Wolverhampton. His protests to the referee for allowing Tarkowski’s goal earned him a red card.
The outrage was overwhelming, especially in Liverpool’s ranks. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk had a go at Everton: “We all know this is their cup final.”