Footage of the shocking moment when a security guard was struck by a flare prior to the Merseyside derby has emerged on social media.
The clash at Goodison Park ended in dramatic fashion on Wednesday night, with a mass brawl that resulted in four red cards after the final whistle, with both Curtis Jones and Abdoulaye Doucoure dismissed at the end of a thrilling 2-2 draw.
Hands were raised during a feisty scuffle that drew the attention of both sets of players, police, stewards and the Reds boss Arne Slot, who was then also shown a red card by referee Oliver in a testy exchange around their on-the-field handshake.
Though tensions spilled over at the end of the match, the animosity was present from before kick-off – with one steward being struck by a flare at Goodison Park.
In footage that emerged on X, it showed the security guard standing at the ground before a flare was launched at him and hit him in the face.
The flare left a mark upon the man’s face before he was swiftly helped by a colleague and moved away from the situation.
A security guard was struck in the face by a flare shortly before the recent Merseyside derby
The caption to the video read: ‘Security worker for Everton was hit in the face, with a flare thrown by supporters last night, shocking. Hopefully he’s ok. Poor form this’.
The contest at Goodison Park was one of the most heated in recent history – with four red cards being brandished after the full-time whistle.
Hands were raised during a feisty scuffle that drew the attention of both sets of players, police, stewards and the Reds boss Slot, who was then also shown a red card by referee Oliver in a testy exchange around their on-the-field handshake.
Now, expert lip-reader Jeremy Freeman has lifted the lid on what exactly Slot told Oliver both before and after being dismissed at Goodison Park. In one clip, Slot could be seen approaching referee Oliver after the full-time whistle. As he walks up to the official, the Dutchman said: ‘Great game’.
They proceeded to shake hands, with Slot seemingly pulling Oliver in his direction before the official quickly brandished a red card from his pocket.
It’s been revealed that a bemused Slot then responded: ‘Sure, you give me a red for that? I will check it out for later. Me and you ya?’
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk also remonstrated with the official and – seemingly confirming that the red card was related to a ‘pull’ in the handshake – said: ‘Hey, Michael, that was not a pull. Michael, it isn’t personal’.
The Premier League have now deleted a statement suggesting Slot will be handed a two-match touchline ban, referencing his alleged ‘offensive, insulting, or abusive language’.
Flares were set off around Goodison Park as the hosts snatched a point with a late goal
Yet Mail Sport understands that the red for Slot was not solely shown because of the handshake, but also as a result of comments made by the Liverpool boss on two separate occasions after the match.
Our expert lip-reader then analysed another clip from the post-match antics which showed Van Dijk attempting to defuse the situation.
The Liverpool defender told his team-mates ‘Go, hey go…go in’ before then telling Oliver again that it was ‘nothing personal’.
In that same clip, Liverpool boss Slot could be seen asking Oliver: ‘We’ll talk after?’
