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Wijnaldum hits out at Everton tackles

Cape Town - Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum believes some of Everton's tackles during the Merseyside derby on Saturday crossed the line.

Both Ross Barkley and Ashley Williams were lucky to escape with only yellow cards`when they could have been given straight reds by referee Anthony Taylor.

The Netherlands international has inferred that there were quite a few tackles made with the intention of causing injury and he feels this is not in the spirit of the game.

"The tackles, especially those from the players from Everton made on our players, it was hard to see, hard to accept, because I think you can play the game really hard, but not with the intention to give someone an injury," the 26-year-old said.

"For me, my opinion, that is a bad thing, because you have to play the game fair. Of course you can play hard, to win, but not to injure the player, because that's not part of the game.

"I saw a few, even in the replay, I saw a few tackles that had to be red."

Liverpool, who went some way in holding on to their Champions League qualification hopes with the 3-1 win at Anfield on Saturday against the Toffees, clash with Bournemouth on Wednesday in the Premier League.

While Jurgen Klopp's men have been prolific against the top six, the Reds have struggled against bottom-half opposition, perhaps due to complacency.

"We dropped a lot of points against teams who are not in the top seven. You can lose against anyone, they are all good opponents. It's going to be difficult, but it depends on ourselves," Wijnaldum added.

"What we have to do is be sharp, be confident we can beat everyone, and try to win game-by-game."

Meanwhile Koeman says he doesn't like the criticism aimed at Romelu Lukaku for his poor showing in the Merseyside derby defeat to Liverpool.

The Toffees were swept aside 3-1 in Saturday's clash at Anfield, where the Premier League's top scorer was unable to hit the target.
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