MERSEYSIDE derby referee Michael Oliver claimed Liverpool head coach Arne Slot told him he would be to blame if his side did not win the league.

Slot and his assistant Sipke Hulshoff were both shown red cards having confronted Oliver on the pitch after James Tarkowski scored an equaliser for Everton in the eighth minute of added time.

The 2-2 draw last month, which also saw Curtis Jones and Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure sent off for scuffling after the final whistle, meant the Reds missed the chance to move nine points clear at the top of the table.