Arne Slot can relate to David Moyes’ frustration that Liverpool’s goal was allowed to stand against Everton in Wednesday’s Merseyside derby but said that “no one can complain” that it was awarded.

Diogo Jota’s strike in the 57th minute ensured the Reds returned to winning ways after back-to-back defeats against Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle United before the international break. But the victory wasn’t without its controversies, with several incidents for the officials to deal with at Anfield.

Perhaps the most significant was the decision to allow Jota’s goal to stand despite Luis Diaz being in an offside position in the build-up. Ryan Gravenberch’s pass to the Colombian was intercepted by the sliding James Tarkowski and amid the subsequent defensive scramble, Jota wriggled free and slotted the ball past Jordan Pickford.

Everton felt the need for Tarkowski to throw himself at the ball, due to Diaz’s position, should have resulted in an offside verdict – even though the laws state that as Liverpool’s No. 7 didn’t attempt to win the ball, it was the correct call.

“Tonight was really tight and there was an offside goal which they get and that's the difference,” said Moyes after the game. “The player behind Tarkowski [Diaz] is clearly offside and it's a very easy decision to give. I can't understand any reason why that wouldn't have been given.”

But that’s not how the Liverpool boss saw things. “It’s nice to see that according to the rules it was a goal, so no-one can complain about that,” he told Sky Sports. “The rules tell us that it is a clear goal.

“I would be frustrated if I conceded it but I would be frustrated at the rules and not about the execution of the rules, because the execution of rules was perfect from the referee,” he added. “The rule in itself is frustrating.

Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota combined for Liverpool's goal against Everton

“If a team wants to play a high press, but keep a high line, and then someone is offside you would love to see it being offside. That’s not the rules; the people that make the rules are not there for the love of the game, they are just there for making the rules.”

Slot didn’t want to be drawn on the other controversial moment of the game: Tarkowski’s tackle on Alexis Mac Allister, which saw the Everton defender only shown a yellow card. Jamie Carragher, Duncan Ferguson, Gary Neville, Paul Merson, and Mike Dean all felt Tarkowski should have been sent off.

“I think everybody has said something on it. Why should I add to it? It’s so obvious that it’s not necessary for me to comment,” said Slot, who admitted Mac Allister was lucky to avoid being seriously injured.

On Everton, he added: “A very difficult team to play against. The amount of shots they blocked, the effort they put in to defend inside their own box and then the threat on the counter with every ball they have they play long.

“It’s so difficult to play against, but our boys showed immense character today. I think we created more than we did in the away game. We were much more in their final third. In the end we scored a good goal and kept a clean sheet.”

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David Moyes thought Everton was hard done by in its 1-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield— despite Blues center-back James Tarkowski somehow getting away with a horrendous tackle early in the game.

"We were a lot closer to them in the two games since I came back into the club than most people would have expected," Moyes said live on Sky Sports post-match. "We've given them a really good game.

"Tonight was really tight and there was an offside goal which they get and that's the difference. The player behind Tarkowski [Luis Diaz] is clearly offside and it's a very easy decision to give. I can't understand any reason why that wouldn't have been given."

On the Tarkowski tackle on Alexis Mac Allister, Moyes refused to accept that his side had been fortunate. Instead, he insisted that the offside was a much bigger issue.

"My first thought was that it was a brilliant tackle for a derby game — a tackle we would have seen a few years ago," he said. "I understand nowadays things are slightly different with follow-throughs etc.

"We might have got a bit lucky but don't be [equating] that with the goal. The goal was a different incident and that won Liverpool the game in the end."

Moyes did accept that Everton is a long way behind Liverpool at the moment. And his wait for a win at Anfield goes on.

"We had a few chances but we're not kidding ourselves," Moyes added. "Liverpool were the better team and there is no hiding that fact. They are top of the league but we showed a lot of resilience and made some chances.

Alexis Mac Allister cries out in pain after James Tarkowski's foul. (Image: Getty Images)

"It's just gut-wrenching when you feel the end result has come from something that we didn't feel was deserved. We were desperate to get something out of the game and the players have been doing brilliantly well.

"Liverpool were better but we tried to close the gap between our level and their level and for long periods, I think we did a good job of it. At the moment, they are the best team in the league and we were unfortunate not to get something out of it."

Liverpool.com says: Moyes surely cannot argue that Tarkowski should have stayed on the field. It is quite ridiculous to think anything other than it was a red card.

As for the offside, it could have been given but the explanation is clear: Luis Diaz did not move towards the ball. That is inarguable, even if he does interfere to some extent by making Tarkowski play the ball. The law is wrong, if anything, rather than the application.

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Jamie Carragher noticed Arne Slot ’s telling full-time reaction as Liverpool beat Everton 1-0 on Wednesday to take a huge step towards winning the Premier League title.

Diogo Jota’s second-half strike separated the sides in the Merseyside derby at Anfield as Liverpool moved to within 13 points of guaranteeing top spot in the 2024/25 season. But it was far from a straightforward affair, in a game that produced few chances as Liverpool battled to earn a valuable and hard-fought win.

The relief was clear at Anfield after the game, as the Reds got back to winning ways after two consecutive defeats before the international break that ended their hopes of winning both the Champions League and Carabao Cup.

It’s why the title race was the focus for Carragher post-match, more so than getting one over on Liverpool’s local rivals. “It’s not about bragging rights,” said the former defender. “It’s about Liverpool needing 16 points to 13. That’s exactly where they are right now.”

Slot promised to try and keep a lid on his emotions on Wednesday, especially after losing his cool in the previous derby in February. He cut a more controlled figure, urging players to step away from arguments and indicating how long was left in the latter stages of injury-time.

“For the majority of the season the manager has been very unemotional,” said Carragher. “You could see him at the end of the game telling the players there was 10 seconds left. That meant a lot to him because he knows [how important it is].

“You go back to the [first] Merseyside derby this season which was the first time you’ve seen him lose control and a few first bumps there - not Jurgen Klopp-like - but a tell-tale sign that it has probably been a long two and half weeks for him since that cup final against Newcastle. He needed to see the Liverpool team that he’s seen all season. He saw that tonight.

Jamie Carragher stressed the importance of Liverpool taking three points against Everton. (Image: Robin Jones/Getty Images)

“Liverpool have had to wait so long since that Newcastle game,” Carragher added, referencing the 17-day break in the fixture schedule since the Carabao Cup final. “It wasn’t just losing the game, it was the manner of the defeat. That would have stayed with the players for a long time. They were away on international duty and had to wait; no game at the weekend.

“No matter how many people say the league is over, when you’re inside the club or the team that it feels like the title is over, it never feels like that. It probably even felt like that for Liverpool supporters - towards the end of the game it was very nervous in the stadium, they wanted the final whistle to be blown.

“You can talk about how they’re 12 points in front and no Arsenal fans think they have a chance of winning the league, but Liverpool fans think they do. The players will and it’s not done until it’s done.”

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Arsenal may have done its bit to keep the Premier League title race alive on Tuesday, but Mikel Arteta is counting the cost after losing yet more players to injury.

The Gunners are still hanging on in the race to be crowned champion, having narrowed the gap to Liverpool to nine points with a 2-1 win over Fulham. Arne Slot’s side can restore their 12-point lead on Wednesday though when they host Everton in the Merseyside derby.

Arteta will be hoping for a favor from his former side as Arsenal looks to stage an unlikely comeback in the title race, although its hopes of clawing back Liverpool look to have taken another major hit.

The Gunners were only 15 minutes into their return from the international break when defender Gabriel Magalhaes was forced off injured. He wasn’t the only defender to give Arteta a scare either, with Jurrien Timber having to come off during the second half.

Already without Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White, Arteta’s options at the back are now looking pretty scarce, which will not help in their efforts to catch Liverpool, nor will it improve their chances of overcoming Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals.

“We don’t know how they are going to be,” Arteta said when discussing Gabriel and Timber’s injuries after the game. “We will be assessing them tomorrow and understand better how we are with those two.

Gabriel of Arsenal looks dejected as he leaves the pitch after picking up an injury during clash with Fulham (Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

“If there are two players in this team who never want to come off, it’s those two probably. Gabi felt something in his hamstring, we don’t know how big that is.

“And with Jurrien as well. He already was struggling very early in the game. He managed to continue and at some point he couldn’t. That’s the downside. Jurrien was a knee [injury].

“You can imagine, we've lost four players in the defensive line in one week - Calafiori, Ben White, Jurrien and Gabi Magalhaes. We have still another four, that are so willing that they will do their job.

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“There have been some big, big players in very, very critical positions and affecting the whole line. But we have a lot of good news as well. Look at Mikel [Merino], look at Ethan [Nwaneri], look at other players doing other stuff. So that's it.”

Despite its problems at the back, Arsenal was boosted by the return of Bukayo Saka, who scored what turned out to be the winner against Fulham. With Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz out for the remainder of the season, the England international’s comeback couldn’t have come at a much better time for the Gunners.

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Liverpool has been warned it's staring at the brutal reality of losing all three key players this summer. Paul Merson predicts a less than ideal scenario where Liverpool could face the loss of their out-of-contract trio of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.

As Arsenal, Merson's old stomping ground, narrowed Liverpool's cushion to a mere nine points following a 2-1 victory against Fulham, concerns rise over the Reds' long-term squad stability, in spite of them still spearheading the table ahead of the highly-anticipated Merseyside derby. Against Everton on Wednesday, Arne Slot's men step into the derby spotlight with a steely gaze on the prize; needing just 16 more points from the remaining 27 to clinch their 20th English crown, a feat that would etch Slot's inaugural season into the annals of history.

Yet, despite the ongoing success, the unresolved futures of stalwart defender and skipper Van Dijk, right-back maestro Alexander-Arnold, and goal machine Salah loom like dark clouds. With contracts expiring on June 30, Liverpool risks seeing this illustrious trio exit for free the following day.

Alexander-Arnold's whispers of a transfer to Real Madrid persist, while Van Dijk and Salah have signalled intentions to stay. Time is running thin, and as Merson contemplates, the potential collective departure by July is nothing short of "criminal."

The Arsenal icon made a bold statement in his Sky Sports column, writing: "I've been saying it for the last eight or nine months - I don't see any of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk signing at Liverpool," and added, "Because I just don't know why you wouldn't have signed already. Why would you keep on losing £80,000 a week, every week for the last 18 months?".

He voiced his surprise: "I'd be quite shocked if all three stayed from here. Unless Liverpool are prepared to give them £30m, £40m in their bank account."

Discussing Liverpool's potential strategy, he noted: "If Liverpool want to keep on being successful and go again next year, they've got to keep Van Dijk and Salah, assuming Alexander-Arnold has already gone." Highlighting the value of the players, he mentioned: "I think Van Dijk and Salah are the best in the business in their positions. If I could buy anybody, I'd buy them two."

Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to become a free agent at the end of the season (Image: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista, Getty Images)

On the consequences of losing key players, he stressed: "If you lose Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold, you've lost half of the back four. And if you lose Salah, you're losing 30 to 40 goals a season. Good luck finding them anywhere else."

Reflecting on contract management, he said: "When you get down to that much talent and they're that good, you should never have less than two years, or two and a half years left on your contract before they're sitting down and saying: 'We want to go again'."

And he condemned poor planning: "And the only time their contracts should be running out is when they're 33, 34, when-no one wants them." Finally, he stated emphatically: "In football terms, it's criminal. It's criminal that you can let three of the top players in the world of football have their contracts run down, and they could leave for absolutely nothing, go anywhere they want."

Paul Merson believes Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah will also leave Liverpool (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

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Everton are mulling over the idea of retaining Goodison Park as a football stadium by relocating their women's team to the iconic venue. The club's new American owners, The Friedkin Group, have initiated a feasibility study to explore this possibility.

The men's senior team is poised to bid farewell to the Grand Old Lady at the end of this season, making a move to their new 52,888-capacity home at Bramley Moore Dock. Previously, Everton had envisioned a legacy project for Goodison Park that encompassed a mixed-use scheme, including housing, offices, and community facilities.

This could still be incorporated into any plan to maintain Goodison Park as a football stadium. The club first moved into the ground in 1892. It is understood that numerous options remain on the table. Everton's executive chairman Marc Watts addressed staff on Tuesday, affirming the owners' commitment to securing the best home for the women's side, reports the Mirror.

Brian Sorensen's team currently ply their trade at nearby Walton Hall Park. However, it appears that this venue may not meet future WSL requirements due to its size, necessitating a new home unless the current site can be developed.

Currently sitting 8th in the WSL after 18 games, Everton women are looking to expand further in the coming years. While they could potentially play some larger matches at the new stadium, the club is keen to establish a permanent home for the women's team to facilitate their growth.

David Moyes has openly expressed his eagerness to shake off his dismal track record at Anfield. The Everton manager, who has never clinched a win in the manager's role at Liverpool's ground, spoke candidly about wanting to break his streak: "Yeah. I don't want it, I want to win and I want to make sure I get rid of it if I can."

He added, "Am I sick of it? I would be lying if I said I look forward to going to it all the time because it has been such a hard place to get results. It's nothing to do with the surrounds, nothing to do with the pitch, nothing to do with anything else, it is to do with them always producing good teams."

Everton FC could keep Goodison Park alive - for the women's team (Image: Getty Images)

Reflecting on the fierce rivalry between the two clubs, Moyes remarked: "I think every team in the Premier League, when they go to Anfield, has a game on their hands. We might be further away from Liverpool than we have ever been at the moment."

He also noted how the competitiveness has waned since his last tenure: "By the time I had left here maybe 10 years ago we were much closer to Liverpool, we were competitive, competing around the same areas of the league at the time. I think at the moment it is the biggest gulf between the two clubs."

Underlining the significance of a victory against Liverpool, Moyes declared: "It would be huge for us as a club to get that because it is not something the club have done particularly often."

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