Jack Grealish didn’t hold back in his post-match interview after Everton’s 2–1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, blasting referee Darren England for enforcing a Premier League rule he claims he had “never heard of in his life.”
Liverpool struck early through Ryan Gravenberch in the 10th minute, with Hugo Ekitike doubling the lead soon after. Everton rallied in the second half, Idrissa Gueye pulling one back just before the hour mark as the Toffees pushed hard for an equaliser.
The game’s controversy arrived when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall tried to take a quick free-kick to catch Liverpool off guard. England halted play and went further, showing Dewsbury-Hall a yellow card—leaving Goodison’s manager David Moyes and TNT Sports commentators Darren Fletcher and Ally McCoist stunned.
Speaking after the match, Grealish voiced his frustration:
“I’ve never seen a player in my whole life get booked for taking a quick free-kick…. I don’t know where that rule has come in.”
Reflecting on the derby as a whole, Grealish admitted:
“It was what I expected—hostile and fast. I don’t think we played well in the first half; we had a chat with the manager at halftime, but ultimately, we lost the game in the second half. It’s frustrating because if we had pressed like that from the start, it would have been a different outcome. We did manage to get one back, thanks to a great finish from Idrissa [Gueye], but we couldn’t find that last goal.”
Despite Grealish’s strong individual display, Everton came up short, leaving Anfield empty-handed.
The Toffees will have little time to dwell, with a Carabao Cup clash against Wolves on Tuesday before resuming league action away to West Ham United on September 29.
