Why Did Slot Support Referee on Stoppage Time After Liverpool's 2-1 Win Over Everton?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Liverpool secured a crucial win in the Merseyside derby.
- Manager Arne Slot supported the referee's stoppage time decision.
- Frustration from Everton players highlighted the match's intensity.
- Next up, Liverpool faces Southampton in the League Cup.
- Liverpool remains at the top of the Premier League.
Liverpool, Sep 23 (NationPress) Liverpool manager Arne Slot has endorsed the referee’s choice to include only three minutes of stoppage time during their hard-fought 2-1 victory against Everton in the Merseyside derby on Saturday, brushing aside rival claims regarding time-wasting.
Everton head coach David Moyes labeled the decision as “very strange,” while winger Jack Grealish expressed his belief that Liverpool was “attempting to slow the game down at times.” Frustration escalated for Grealish, who confronted the referee post-match and received a yellow card.
Liverpool seemed to be in complete command following first-half goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike, but a strike from Idrissa Gueye midway through the second half created a tense finale at Goodison Park as Everton surged forward.
Nonetheless, Slot maintained that the three minutes of stoppage time were justified. “Many have commented on the added time against Everton, but I would have liked to play on three or four seconds longer because we were in a five-v-two situation at that moment,” Slot remarked on the club’s website. “This illustrates our mentality of always striving to score. The three minutes were entirely accurate, as there were only three instances where substitutions occurred.
“There was no time-wasting because that’s not our style... and there were no injury treatments, just one goal scored.”
The victory kept Liverpool at the summit of the Premier League table, whereas Everton faced disappointment after failing to equalize despite mounting pressure.
Slot’s squad now shifts focus to the domestic cup, preparing to host Southampton in the League Cup third round on Tuesday before returning to league action away to Crystal Palace on Saturday.