FA charges Liverpool, Everton over Merseyside Derby mass brawl

Left: Jordan Pickford, Right: Conor Coady – CC

The Football Association (FA) has charged Liverpool and Everton over a “mass confrontation” at the end of Monday’s Merseyside derby.

The incident happened in the 86th minute after goals from Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo gave the Reds a 2-0 lead at Anfield.

The FAe explained that both clubs had failed to ensure that their players acted orderly and avoided provocative behavior. The FA has given Liverpool and Everton until February 20 to respond.

The mass brawl came after an altercation between Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson, which earned both players one yellow card each.

It started when Robertson kept playing after the referee blew his whistle. He kicked the ball toward Everton’s box, which the Toffees thought was an apparent attempt to waste time.

Everton players quickly approached Robertson, who laughed in Pickford’s face before Conor Coady grabbed him by the neck.

Virgil van Dijk, a Liverpool defender warming up on the sidelines, rushed over to help Robertson. Other players, including Liverpool’s Darwin Núñez, Kostas Tsimikas and Everton’s Amadou Onana, also rushed to de-escalate the situation.

FA Spokesperson

2023-02-16 15:00

https://t.co/tfIQzj9NPA

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After a while, the situation came under control, and the match resumed as usual. Pickford and Robertson were the only ones given yellow cards.

A week earlier, the FA punished Manchester United and Crystal Palace for being unable to control their players during a big fight in which Casemiro was sent off the field for grabbing Will Hughes’ neck.

In comparison to Casemiro’s case, many Red Devils supporters were baffled by the referee’s decision not to give Coady a red card after the altercation between him and Robertson.

This charge is the FA’s most recent effort to address player conduct, with a particular emphasis on those at the highest level of the sport.

Last month, the FA also punished Arsenal with two charges for not being able to manage their players during their Premier League match against Newcastle and their FA Cup third-round match against Oxford United.