Why was Arne Slot not allowed to do post match interview after Liverpool's draw with Everton? Little known rule comes to light

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot was not allowed to do the post-match press conference following their Premier League clash against Everton. The Merseyside derby ended in a dramatic 2-2 draw at Goodison Park on Wednesday, February 12.

Beto opened the scoring Everton just 11 minutes into the clash with a right-footed shot from a through-ball assist by Jarrad Branthwaite following a set-piece situation. Liverpool were quick to bounce back, with Alexis Mac Allister netting the equalizer with a header following an assist from Mohamed Salah.

Salah then took the lead for the visitors in the 73rd minute. While it seemed that the match would end in Liverpool's favor, James Tarkowski found the equalizer for Everton at 90+8 minutes. The goal was confirmed after a lengthy VAR check due to the possibility of Abdoulaye Doucouré being offside.

As the final whistle went off, officially ending the Merseyside derby in a 2-2 draw, Doucouré celebrated the Toffees' late equalizer in front of the traveling Liverpool fans, which irked Curtis Jones. The two midfielders then got into a brawl, with players from both sides piling up. Both Jones and Doucouré received their second yellow cards of the match from Michael Oliver and were sent off.

Arne Slot was given a straight red card by the referee when the Reds' boss confronted him, appearing to be angry. The Dutch manager's assistant Sipke Hulshoff was also shown a red card following the final whistle.

Slot was also unable to feature in the post-match press conference being in accordance with the Premier League regulations. As per the rules, coaches who have received red cards are prohibited from participating in any post-match press conferences or broadcast interviews.

The league's handbook for 2024/25 states (via FourFourTwo):

"No player or manager who has been sent off in a league match or is suspended for a league match will be required to be made available for interview during or after that league match. In such circumstances, the media obligations relating to a club’s manager shall be fulfilled by the club’s assistant manager or another senior member of its coaching staff."

While Slot and Hulshoff were not allowed to address the media after the match, Everton head coach David Moyes and Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk spoke in the post-match press conference.

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David Moyes on Everton's 2-2 draw against Liverpool in Premier League

David Moyes shared his thoughts on the last Merseyside derby at Goodison Park ending in a 2-2 draw, with Everton set to relocate to their new stadium next season. After the match, the Scottish manager appeared to be happy about the last-minute equalizer and told TNT Sports (via BBC Sport):

"Mental probably sums it up. A brilliant finish for us, to finish the last Goodison Merseyside derby and score in the last minute is in a way fitting. We would have liked to have won the game but at 2-1 down, I was just thinking that we probably weren't going to get back in, it just looked like Liverpool would keep us out."

"We worked hard, kept at it, probably had more attempts in the second half than the first. [Tarkowski] had the quality which was the one that really mattered," added Moyes.

David Moyes' squad maintained a ball possession of 37% against Liverpool while having a total of 10 shots, of which three were on target.