Giving Liverpool a points deduction for what happened at the end of the Merseyside Derby would send a real message to the rest of the Premier League.

Surrounding the referee and confronting him at the end of a match is unacceptable and it should be stamped out. But football is an emotional sport and sometimes your emotions can get the better of you.

What happened at Goodison Park is not the first time and it certainly will not be the last. But in the grand scheme of things, was it the worst instance of something like this? Probably not.

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There have been countless occasions in the past of managers striding onto the pitch to confront a referee about a big decision that went against their team or a supposed mistake that has been made that has cost them points.

And perhaps the argument is there that this needs to stop at some point and what better way to do it than by handing out a points deduction to a high-profile team? I just can't see it happening, however.

The suggestion came from former top flight referee Keith Hackett, who, in an interview with Football Insider, said: "If these fines going forward do not have the desired effect then we may see points deductions coming into play. The last time they used that sanction for an on-field mass confrontation was in the game between Manchester United vs Arsenal (in the 1990s) where I was the man in the middle."

Liverpool boss Arne Slot admitted after the incident that he need to keep his emotions in check and offer a better example to everyone watching on in the stands and at home. He had said that Michael Oliver would be to blame if Liverpool ended up not winning the Premier League title - a statement that would detract from every minute thing Slot's players will have done wrong in the season.

A two-game touchline ban and a fine was handed down to Slot, which is the norm in these situations. You need only look across the English Channel for an example of what happens in extreme circumstances with referees and it is not points deductions.

Lyon manager Paulo Fonseca has been handed a nine-month touchline ban after squaring up to referee Benoit Millot, going head-to-head with the official and shouting in his face as he went to review a penalty incident.

What Fonseca did was far more serious than Slot and he has been handed a nine-month ban, with no talk of a points deduction taking place. The French Professional Football League is different to the Premier League of course and England's law makers will have their own opinions.

If the Premier League want to make a statement, handing Slot's Liverpool a one or two-point deduction would certainly do that. But it would send shockwaves across the English top flight for an incident that pales in comparison (the players' fracas after the final whistle excluded) to others down the years and would certainly leave a bitter taste in the mouth.