Everton defender James Tarkowski has spoken out for the first time after his horror tackle on Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister, and explained why he made the challenge during the Merseyside derby.
Tarkowski escaped a red card during the first half at Anfield despite lunging in high on Mac Allister as the pair went for the ball near the Everton penalty area. Referee Sam Barrott chose to issue the defender with a yellow card, with VAR Paul Tierney deciding not to upgrade it to a red.
Diogo Jota would go on to score the winner during the second half with a goal that has also caused controversy, although Tarkowski’s challenge has remained the big talking point of the night, with pundits – such as Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville – universally agreeing that he was lucky to stay on the pitch.
Tarkowski was seen apologizing to Mac Allister on the pitch at the final whistle, while the Liverpool midfielder has since broken his silence on social media. The Everton captain spoke about the incident after the game with Optus Sport, explaining what he said to Mac Allister.
“Yeah, I spoke to him and apologized because it’s not a great tackle,” Tarkowski said. “When the ball fell between us, I actually thought he was just going to come and I was expecting a big old school 50/50 tackle.
(Image: AP)
“He just pulled out of the tackle, and as I lunged in, I caught him pretty high, so I’ve apologized to him and he’s accepted it, so yeah, not a great one from me.”
Tarkowski was also at the heart of Liverpool’s eventual winner, which he feels should have been ruled out. The defender played the ball to prevent it running on to Luis Diaz, who was stood in an offside position, with the Colombian going on to move back and lay off Jota.
“I’ve just seen the goal back and it’s offside. That’s the decider of the game, which for me is not a goal, it shouldn’t have been given,” Tarkowski said.
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“We didn’t perform well, but we stuck at it, defended pretty well for most of the game, and like I say they get given a goal which never should be.
“I wasn’t aware he was offside, so I have to play the ball like he’s onside. I end up lunging for the ball because I think he might try and nick it in front, so it’s affected my decision to play, and if he’s stood in an offside position, then surely that’s a deciding factor.
“I wasn’t aware at the time until Jarrad [Branthwaite] told me, and for some reason, whatever that might be, they’ve decided to give them the goal, which is bizarre.”
