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James Tarkowski offered his apologies to Alexis Mac Allister following a vicious challenge that was labelled a potential "leg-breaker."
The reckless lunge by the Everton defender took place during the Toffees' visit to Anfield in April. The visitors were defeated 1-0, thanks to the late Diogo Jota's last goal for Liverpool.
As is the tradition in derby encounters, the match inevitably was a tense affair, but Tarkowski went too far when he caught the Argentine high on his ankle, leaving the World Cup champion in agony on the ground.
Whilst many anticipated a red card for the Englishman, referee Sam Barrott opted to show yellow instead. VAR Paul Tierney declined to suggest an on-field review to his officiating colleague.
With Tarkowski able to complete the remainder of the match, it was only moments after the final whistle that he approached Mac Allister to apologise for his challenge.
The Liverpool midfielder appeared to accept his apology, though that didn't prevent the likes of Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher expressing their shock post-match that the centre-back escaped an immediate dismissal.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville said: "That's a potential leg-breaker. I think he's very lucky there. There will be those that say it's a natural follow-through. If you're a defender, Carragher will be able to tell you even better than me, you don't need to follow through like that. Such force, and it's high. He's very lucky."
Carragher seconded Neville's comments, stating: "The ref should give it on the pitch, [but] for Paul Tierney to not give it on VAR is shocking." The Premier League Match Centre provided an explanation post-match due to the uproar over the decision.
Their statement read: "The referee's call of yellow card for a reckless foul by Tarkowski was checked by the VAR, with contact on the follow through after Tarkowski had played the ball deemed to be reckless."
Arne Slot also voiced his opinion on the incident. Although he didn't directly publicise his displeasure with the refereeing decision, he did comment: "So many people gave their opinion and a lot of people who are not in favour of Liverpool were so clear about it."
It was merely four matches after their victory against Everton that Liverpool clinched the Premier League title in the Dutchman's inaugural season at the club.
The Reds secured the title in grand fashion with a 5-1 thrashing of Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield, marking only their second league title in the Premier League era, following Jurgen Klopp's success in the 2019/20 season.
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