James Tarkowski has spoken out for the first time following his controversial tackle on Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister during their Merseyside derby clash at Anfield.
Tarkowski, who went in high on Mac Allister as both players contested the ball near the Everton penalty area, initially avoided a red card. Despite the rough challenge, referee Sam Barrott opted for a yellow card, with VAR, led by Paul Tierney, choosing not to upgrade the decision to a red
Later in the game, Diogo Jota scored the winner for Liverpool, but Tarkowski’s tackle remained a hot topic of conversation. Former Premier League referee Mike Dean slammed VAR officials for failing to upgrade James Tarkowski’s challenge to a red card after what he called a “terrible” tackle on Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister during Wednesday’s Merseyside derby.
Everton captain James Tarkowski apologized to Mac Allister at the end of the game, and the Liverpool midfielder also addressed the incident on social media. In an interview with Optus Sport, Tarkowski explained the situation.
“Yeah, I spoke to him and apologized because it’s not a great tackle,” Tarkowski said. “When the ball fell between us, I thought he was just going to come for it, and I was expecting a big 50/50 challenge. He pulled out, and as I lunged in, I caught him pretty high. I’ve apologized to him, and he’s accepted it. So yeah, not a great one from me.”
Tarkowski also spoke about the goal that led to Liverpool’s victory. He felt that it should have been ruled out for offside. Tarkowski had played the ball to stop it from going to Luis Diaz, who was in an offside position at the time. Diaz later passed it to Jota, who scored.
“I’ve just seen the goal back, and it’s offside,” Tarkowski said. “That’s the game’s decider. For me, it shouldn’t have been given. I wasn’t aware he was offside, so I had to play the ball like he was onside. But if he’s offside, that surely should have been a factor.”
Tarkowski added, “We didn’t perform well, but we stuck at it and defended pretty well for most of the game. They get a goal that shouldn’t have been given. I wasn’t aware of the offside until Jarrad Branthwaite told me. For some reason, they decided to give the goal, which is bizarre.”
