James Tarkowski appeared to make an apology to Alexis Mac Allister for his shocking tackle on the Liverpool star.
Tarkowski only received a yellow card for the terrible challenge on Mac Allister when he took the ball after which caught his opponent high up on his ankle within the follow through.
Grim replays showed the Argentina international was lucky to flee serious injury within the Eleventh-minute tackle.
Remarkably, referee Sam Barrott was not sent over to the monitor by VAR to review his decision.
The pair were then spotted speaking after the match where it appeared the Everton defender was apologising for the tackle.
talkSPORT host Adrian Durham, who was at Anfield, said: “Right at the tip I saw James Tarkowski and Alexis McAllister share a moment, it looked to me like Tarkowski was apologising.
“I’m undecided McAllister was ready to just accept the apology, because he could have had his leg broken tonight.”
The Premier League Match Centre released a press release shortly after confirming why the challenge had not been upgraded to a red.
It 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.”
The tackle has been widely condemned, with even former Everton hardman Duncan Ferguson calling it a ‘red card all day long’.
The challenge was the massive talking point of the match, with Liverpool happening to win 1-0 to maneuver them a step closer to the title.
The Sports Bar boys Jamie O’Hara and Jason Cundy took Tarkowski, and VAR, to task over the tackle.
O’Hara said: “What is the point in VAR?”
Cundy added: “That’s the type of challenge after I used to play you would get away with. So long as you get the ball, the person is irrelevant. You bought through the ball and you need to get the person as well.
“That’s an old fashioned challenge. That’s a throwback challenge.
“There’s no place for it in the fashionable game. It’s a terrible tackle.
“The ball is there to be won, but there is no such thing as a place for that tackle in the fashionable game.
“MacAllister is a lucky boy, and so is Tarkowski.
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“That to me is the right example of when people say ‘what’s the point of VAR?’ It’s a terrible tackle, it’s a red card on daily basis of the week and he’s got away with it.”
Liverpool restored their 12 point advantage over second place Arsenal with eight Premier League games to go.
