Premier League referee Michael Oliver said he should have given more thought to Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford's wild tackle on Virgil van Dijk that left the Liverpool defender needing knee surgery instead of focusing on whether to award a penalty.
Pickford's reckless challenge, in a match between the Merseyside rivals in October, was made inside the penalty area but came after the referee had blown for offside.
The England goalkeeper was not cautioned for the tackle and retrospective action after the Football Association determined the incident was seen at the time by the match officials, including the video assistant refereee.
League leaders Liverpool's three main center backs - Van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip - are all sidelined with injuries.
They next face Manchester United in the league Sunday.
