Arne Slot reveals message to Curtis Jones as Liverpool midfielder faces ban

Slot was also sent off after the final whistle for his reaction to Everton’s last-minute equaliser in the Merseyside derby

Liverpool manager Arne Slot said he would speak with Curtis Jones after he was sent off after the final whistle against Everton, but stopped short of criticising the midfielder by admitting he also made a mistake with his reaction following the Merseyside derby.

Jones will be suspended for Sunday’s match against Wolves after receiving a second yellow card for his confrontation with Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure, who was also dismissed following the 2-2 draw at Goodison Park.

Doucoure was accused of “provoking” the Liverpool fans after celebrating in front of the away end at full-time, with Jones rushing to push the Everton midfielder and sparking a melee after the final whistle.

Jones was sent off for pushing Doucoure, who celebrated in front of the Liverpool fans (REUTERS)

Slot was also sent off after the final whistle following an intense hand shake with referee Michael Oliver and addressed his red card and Merseyside derby “mayhem” for the first time on Friday morning.

“I liked a lot that he [Jones] stood up for the team, but I also think there are other ways for the team and the fans to do that,” Slot said. “I will talk to him about that.

“But it's the same for me. I should have acted differently after the game as well. It is an emotional sport and sometimes individuals with emotions make the wrong decisions. That is definitely what I did."

Slot faces the possibility of an extended touchline ban but is set to take charge against Wolves at Anfield on Sunday while the Football Association weighs up whether to charge the Liverpool manager.

Under Premier League rules, Slot was banned from speaking on Wednesday night and said he would respect the process of the disciplinary process, but Jones is definitely out against Wolves on Sunday.

"The good thing is that we play a lot of games,” Slot added. “He will be out for one game. He came back from an injury, so he missed a few games already. I was planning to start him against Plymouth. He wasn't completely recovered yet.

"I liked him a lot when he came in [against Everton]. He had a very good half hour. It was the best part of our game. That was the only part of the game where I felt a bit of comfort and maybe a bit of control.”

Slot was also sent off after the final whistle (Getty Images)

Slot suggested that he remains more upset with the amount of time played by referee Oliver rather than a shove on Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate from Everton forward Beto, which was also subject to a VAR review after James Tarkowski blasted a volley into the net to spark wild scenes at Goodison.

“Many things happened in extra time that led to me being quite emotional,” Slot said. “There was a VAR review for two minutes and I thought, maybe the only thing that could happen is he looks back at the foul, or maybe it’s offside. Of course then, after 10 minutes you hear there fans cheering and you [realise] it’s not offside.

“So many things happened in extra time but as I said it would not be smart to go into every incident.”