Police are investigating racist tweets about Everton’s game with Tottenham.
The offensive messages were posted on social media in the wake of Sunday’s 1-1 draw between the sides, which was overshadowed by Andre Gomes’ injury.
Gomes suffered a dislocated ankle from a 79th-minute challenge by Spurs’ Son Heung-min, who was given a straight red card by referee Martin Atkonson.
It is believed that the posts from one Twitter user made a number of racist and offensive remarks about the South Korea international following the match.
Merseyside Police have now confirmed that they are investigating the material posted in the wake of the Goodison Park fixture as a potential hate crime.
“A report was received following the Everton v Tottenham Hotspur match that the post was on Twitter,” read a force statement.
“Merseyside Police will not tolerate hate crime in any form and is working to identify and bring to justice anyone found responsible for committing a hate crime.”
Everton investigated an alleged racist gesture by a fan inside Goodison at the match but police insisted that the incident did not constitute a hate crime.