Reds skipper Van Dijk could not resist a sly joke at the Toffees while revealing how the 2-2 draw will impact the title race after a chaotic end to the final-ever Merseyside derby at Goodison Park

Virgil van Dijk said he told referee Michael Oliver he didn’t have enough control of the bad-tempered Merseyside derby as he revealed he thought it was strange to see manager Arne Slot and his assistant Sipke Hulshoff sent off.

Keith Hackett, who was previously the head of the PGMOL, had his say on the decision on X, and he feels Oliver made a mistake. He tweeted: “This was an incorrect award of a free-kick that then went into to result in Everton scoring their opening goal.”