Liverpool, Sep 23 (IANS) Liverpool manager Arne Slot has backed the referee’s decision to add only three minutes of stoppage time in their tense 2-1 Merseyside derby victory over Everton on Saturday, dismissing rival complaints about time-wasting.

Everton boss David Moyes had called the decision “very strange,” while winger Jack Grealish claimed Liverpool were “trying to slow the game down at times.” Grealish’s frustration boiled over as he confronted the referee after the final whistle and was shown a yellow card.

Liverpool looked to be in complete control after first-half goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike, but Idrissa Gueye’s strike midway through the second half set up a nervy finish at Goodison Park as Everton piled forward.

Slot, however, insisted the three minutes of stoppage time were appropriate. “A lot has been said about the added time against Everton but I would have loved to play on three or four seconds more because we were in a five-v-two situation at that moment,” Slot told the club’s website. “Now that tells you, I think, all about the mentality we have, always wanting to score a goal. The three minutes were completely correct, by the way, because there were only three moments where a substitution was made.

“There was no time-wasting because that’s not what we do … and there was no treatment of injuries, one goal scored.”

The win kept Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table, while Everton were left frustrated after failing to find an equaliser despite late pressure.

Slot’s side now turn their attention to the domestic cup, hosting Southampton in the League Cup third round on Tuesday before resuming league duties away to Crystal Palace on Saturday.

–IANS

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