David Moyes believes James Tarkowski was lucky to escape a red card for a reckless challenge on Alexis McAllister as Everton lost 1-0 to Liverpool on a controversial night at Anfield.
Diogo Jota's 57th-minute goal, which Moyes believed should have been disallowed for offside, gave Liverpool their 100th derby win and moved them closer to the Premier League title, but both sides were unhappy with the decisions of referee Sam Barrott and his assistants.
The first concerned an early foul by Tarkowski on McAllister, when the Everton defender clearly won the ball but in the process of passing it hit the Argentine high on the back of the shin.
Barrott was shown a yellow card and the decision was quickly upheld after a VAR review, but few agreed.
Former Everton player Duncan Ferguson told Sky Sports it was “the biggest red card of the day”.
Moyes said: “At the time I thought it was a brilliant tackle for a derby.
“You all ask for (physical play) and when it happens you want a sending off, so be careful what you wish for.
“I thought it was a great tackle but when I looked back we might have been lucky he didn't get a red card.
“It looked high, but it all depends on what era you want to watch football in.”
Liverpool manager Arne Slot, who was sent off for protesting during the teams' match at Goodison Park in February, has decided not to comment on the matter.
“I don’t want to comment on the situation because many have already done so, and even those who don’t particularly like Liverpool say how obvious it all was,” he noted.
Jota scored his first goal since January in spectacular style but Moyes was left furious with the result as his nine-game unbeaten run since returning to Everton ended.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
