Koeman questions decision not to punish Lovren

Everton boss Ronald Koeman conceded Ross Barkley may have been lucky to only be booked following a poor tackle on Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson in Monday’s Merseyside derby, but questioned why Dejan Lovren was also allowed to stay on the pitch.

Barkley was shown yellow after 68 minutes of a lacklustre contest as his poorly timed lunge caught Henderson flush on the ankle, a challenge that left his opponent writhing in agony.

Henderson was able to continue as Liverpool snatched a late 1-0 win at Goodison Park through Sadio Mane much to the frustration of Koeman.

The Dutchman, however, was unsure why Lovren’s reaction to Barkley’s challenge – that saw him shove Seamus Coleman – was not punished further by referee Mike Dean.

“If I can say something about the referee, why did he give Seamus Coleman a yellow and not Dejan Lovren?” he told Sky Sports.

“Everybody is reacting and it started with Lovren and he already had a yellow.

“Yes, maybe he [Barkley] was lucky, I need to see that [again], maybe it’s a red, but after there was a reaction from Lovren.”

Mane’s 94th-minute winner was a blow for Koeman and his Everton players after a hard-working display that frustrated their local rivals.

He added: “I think it was a very good team performance. It was the best first 45 minutes. We were very aggressive. There was a big chance with the header from a corner kick. 

“In the second half we had it more difficult. The substitutes of Liverpool had a big impact in the final result. We didn’t keep the ball after the break so much. The team didn’t deserve to lose the game.”