Arne Slot has revealed he was booked after the officials thought an X-rated comment he said to a Liverpool player was aimed at them.
The Reds played out an enthralling 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday, as Bukayo Saka and Mohamed Salah both netted recording breaking goals, with Mikel Merino and Virgil van Dijk scoring too.
Slot says the fourth official misread a situation in the second halfGetty
He had been unhappy with what he deemed as time wastingGetty
It was a missed opportunity for both sides to go further up the table, with Manchester City going top after the close of the game week, and the frustrations boiled over at numerous points.
But one moment of fury for Slot earned him a place in the referee’s book after fourth official Sam Barrott got the wrong end of the stick.
Asked about his booking in his post-match interview, he said: “They [Arsenal] always fell down when they had ball possession.
“I said to [Ibrahima Konate] ‘This is a f****** joke’, but the fourth official thought I was talking to him!
“I got a yellow for that!”
Jurrien Timber went down injured with about 15 minutes to go and had to be replaced by academy player Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Referee Anthony Taylor then came over to the touchline to book Liverpool‘s manager, so it’s likely his comment was made around that time.
Luckily for Slot and co, Liverpool fought back to earn a point just five minutes after Timber’s substitution.
Salah finished off a ball across goal from Darwin Nunez, who latched onto a delicious Trent Alexander-Arnold long ball, to make it 2-2 and send the away fans behind the goal into bedlam.
Slot’s booking on Sunday marks his second this season.
Slot was losing his temper with ArsenalGetty
He also picked up a yellow card against Chelsea last weekend in Liverpool’s 2-1 win after Curtis Jones was denied a penalty, with VAR overturning the original decision.
At the time, the Dutchman said: “It could have been a crucial decision for VAR to overturn the referee’s decision on the pitch.
“I don’t think VAR should have intervened. If you look at the screen, I think it’s a penalty.
“The booking came from three-four decisions that didn’t go our way. The handball, everyone was screaming for it so I did as well.
“I deserved the yellow card. It was as clear as the second penalty he should have given us.”
Meanwhile, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been unable to give a clear indication on how bad Gabriel and Timber’s injuries are after they both went off in the clash.
Speaking to talkSPORT’s chief football correspondent Alex Crook, the Arsenal boss said on the condition of the duo: “I don’t know.
Here’s how the league table looks after this weekend’s matches
“Obviously they could not carry on which is not a good sign because those two are never willing to leave the field.
“But we have to assess them and see.”
