Everton manager David Moyes has described the online abuse directed toward defender James Tarkowski in the aftermath of Wednesday's Merseyside derby as "unacceptable."
Everton were beaten 1-0 by Liverpool at Anfield thanks to a strike from Diogo Jota, however Tarkowski found himself at the centre of controversy after avoiding a red card for a robust challenge on midfielder Alexis Mac Allister in the first half. Tarkowski was booked by referee Sam Barrott for the challenge and the VAR, Paul Tierney, opted not to against upgrading the booking to a red.
The referees' body, the PGMOL, has since conceded that the nature of the follow-through met the threshold for serious foul play and a review should have been recommended and the original decision overturned.
However, Moyes has condemned the abuse that has been directed at Tarkowski over the past couple of days after the defender's wife, Samantha, posted on Instagram that they had received death threats.
"The club have issued a statement," Moyes said. "It's not acceptable for anybody in any walk of life. We have to hold our hands up.
"After looking at it again, I believe it could have been a sending off but I don't think that should mean you get abused online because of that. It's part of football. He made what looked at the time what I thought was a very good tackle but looking at it again I thought it was a bit reckless."
In a statement on Friday, a club spokesperson said: "Everton Football Club is aware of threats made towards James Tarkowski and his family on social media. Such behaviour is completely unacceptable and has no place in football or society.
"The club is liaising with James and his wife Samantha and stands ready to engage with the social media companies and assist the police with any potential investigation. Everton strongly condemns any form of online or offline intimidation, threats or abuse directed at players, staff or their families."