Liverpool manager Slot addresses red card in Merseyside derby: ‘Emotions got the better of me’

LIVERPOOL, England — Liverpool manager Arne Slot has regrets about his conduct that earned him a red card in the wild scenes after the Merseyside derby during the week.

Slot appeared to aggressively shake the hand of referee Michael Oliver and make some comments to the official amid the post-match chaos at the 2-2 draw with Everton, which equalized in the eighth minute of stoppage time on Wednesday.

He was one of four people to receive red cards after the game, along with his assistant, Sipke Hulshoff, and two players — Liverpool’s Curtis Jones and Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure — following their confrontation.

The Dutch coach wasn’t allowed to speak to media after the game, as per Premier League rules regarding managers who receive red cards, so he addressed the events for the first time Friday, saying “many things in extra time happened that led to me being quite emotional.”

“The emotions got the better of me and if I look back, I would love to do it differently,” Slot said. “I’m hoping to do it differently next time.”

He would not comment on the precise reason why he was red-carded, however.

“What has exactly been said and what has happened, there’s an ongoing process and I don’t want to disturb that,” Slot said.

“I should have acted differently after the game,” he added, “but it’s an emotional sport and sometimes individuals, out of emotion, make the wrong decision and that’s what I did.”

Slot was speaking ahead of Liverpool’s home match against Wolverhampton on Sunday, and said forward Cody Gakpo was a doubt because of an injury that forced him to be substituted in the second half against Everton.

Liverpool leads the league by seven points from Arsenal.