EVERTON boss David Moyes was sent off by ref Mike Riley at the Emirates Stadium as his side clung on to a 1-1 draw with Arsenal.
Moyes said: "It was added-on time. He asked me to leave. I was pointing to my watch and he took it the wrong way.
"We lost a goal late on against Manchester City and I didn't want it to happen again."
Moyes's side came under fire from Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who said: "It was very frustrating against a team with zero shots on or off target and when you have 70 per cent of the ball.
"It was negative but that's the way the game is going at the moment. It's like a film you have seen 10 times. It is becoming boring."
Leaders Manchester United won 4-0 at Bolton as Wayne Rooney ended his goal drought with a hat-trick. Rooney said: "It was brilliant. There has been talk from people saying I couldn't do it any more.
"Stuff like that makes me really pleased to be back among the goals and playing well again. The football in the first 20 minutes was probably the best we have played as a team all season."
Martin O'Neill was in pain as Aston Villa's unbeaten start to the season - the last in the Premiership - ended at Anfield.
Villa lost 3-1 and O'Neill admitted: "It really hurts but Liverpool were very, very impressive in the first half."
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez said: "After what happened against Manchester United the players wanted to give the fans something and they did."
Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack scored the goals that kept Chelsea in second place with a 2-0 win at Bramall Lane.
Sheffield United missed a first-half penalty and Blues boss Jose Mourinho said: "You know what you are going to get from them - a difficult game - and that's exactly what they gave us.
"Had they scored from their penalty, you wonder if we could have turned it around. But I was very pleased with my team's performance. The attitude and ambition was right."