Merseyside Police Investigating Social Media Threats Aimed at Everton Duo

Merseyside police are investigating 'unacceptable' threats made on social media against Everton duo Jordan Pickford and Richarlison, following Saturday's 2-2 draw with Liverpool.

Both Pickford and Richarlison have come in for fierce criticism for their reckless tackles on Virgil van Dijk and Thiago, the latter earning a red card for Everton's Brazilian forward.

England goalkeeper Pickford should also have been given his marching orders for his ill-advised lunge on Van Dijk, which has caused the colossal Dutch defender anterior cruciate ligament damage - an injury that will sideline him for a number of months. Thiago, thankfully, appears to have got off lightly from his coming together with Richarlison, and could feature for Liverpool next weekend.

Criticism aside, the pair have been targeted with a number of threatening posts on social media, prompting Merseyside Police to release a statement confirming that an investigation has been opened into where the posts came from, with an intent to bring the culprits to 'justice'.

"The language used in the tweets [aimed at Pickford and Richarlison] is totally unacceptable and we are taking the reports extremely seriously," a Merseyside Police spokesperson said in a statement to the BBC.

"Those who use the internet to target others, and who commit criminal offences such as making threats or committing a hate crime in doing so, are not beyond the law.

"Detectives are making inquiries to identify the individuals who posted the tweets and where we identify offences we will take action to bring those responsible to justice."

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