Liverpool took bragging rights in the first ever Merseyside derby at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, but some Everton fans have accused Arne Slot of breaking Premier League rules during the game
Arne Slot took advantage of an Everton injury during Liverpool’s win in the Merseyside derby(Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool has raised eyebrows with some Everton fans, with the Reds being accused of breaking the Premier League’s rules over substitutions.
Virgil van Dijk’s dramatic stoppage-time header saw Liverpool claim bragging rights in the first-ever Merseyside derby at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. The Reds’ captain rose highest to head home and secure a 2-1 win in the dying moments, with Mohamed Salah having opened the scoring before Beto’s equalizer after the break.
The win strengthens Liverpool’s Champions League hopes, with Arne Slot’s side now needing a maximum of nine points from its final five games in order to secure a top-five finish and book its place at Europe’s top table.
READ MORE: Arne Slot handed huge Liverpool boost as bold move pays off – 5 talking points vs EvertonREAD MORE: Liverpool player ratings, winners and losers vs Everton as Mohamed Salah and 4 more strongSome Everton fans, though, have been calling foul on social media for what they perceive to be a breaking of the rules by Slot and his team.
The Liverpool boss had to make full use of his bench on Sunday, with five substitutions made, including goalkeeper Freddie Woodman replacing Giorgi Mamardashvili after his collision with Beto during Everton’s equalizer.
Meanwhile, Rio Ngumoha replaced Alexander Isak in the 72nd minute, while Jeremie Frimpong, Alexis Mac Allister, and Milos Kerkez came on late in the game to replace Cody Gakpo, Florian Wirtz, and Andy Robertson.
It’s Kerkez’s introduction that has got Everton fans asking questions, though, with the left-back having been brought on shortly after Frimpong and Mac Allister, which they feel constituted a fourth substitution window.
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Under Premier League rules, teams are permitted to make five substitutions during a game, but they must be completed in a maximum of three windows – not including half-time, which is seen as its own separate window.
With Woodman and Ngumoha having been introduced on their own during the second half, that left just one more window for Slot to make any more changes, which he chose to do in the 84th minute as he sent on Frimpong and Mac Allister.
Kerkez’s introduction was then timed at the 86th minute mark, which would normally represent another window. However, all three of those late substitutions were made while the game had been stopped due to Jarrad Branthwaite’s injury.
Because the game had not restarted between Mac Allister and Frimpong being brought on, and then Kerkez’s introduction, all three changes are considered to have been made in the same window.
Jarrad Branthwaite was in tears as he was stretchered off for Everton against Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)
The game did eventually get back underway after Branthwaite was stretchered off, with Frimpong, Mac Allister, and Kerkez all on the pitch at that point.
With all three points in the bag, Slot and his team reveled in their victory, which takes them a big step closer to securing their spot in the top five.
“Throughout the season, all these games with all these games and the limited players available have hurt and cost us quite a lot of points,” Slot said. “But today is definitely a day for the fans to be happy. That’s what we will be.
“We are going to enjoy it. My staff, my players and me. There is no difference between us and the fans; we would have loved to have had a better season than we’ve had.”
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