Good evening! Thank you very much for joining
Sports Mole for today's evening kickoff as Liverpool host
West Bromwich Albion in the fourth round of the
FA Cup!
It has been a day of shocks already in the competition, with West Ham the biggest scalp to be claimed and Tottenham Hotspur currently on course to be dumped out by Newport County too. While victory for West Brom would not fall into the category of either of those giant-killings, it would certainly be an upset that Liverpool are desperate to avoid.
We will have a closer look at both teams a little later, but first let's check out the team news...
LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Mignolet; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Moreno; Can, Wijnaldum, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Mane, Salah, Firmino
LIVERPOOL SUBS: Ward, Lovren, Milner, Gomez, Henderson, Ings, Solanke
WEST BROM STARTING XI: Foster; Nyom, Evans, Dawson, Gibbs; Livermore, Barry, Krychowiak; Rodriguez, Robson-Kanu, Brunt
WEST BROM SUBS: Myhill, Yacob, Rondon, Phillips, McClean, Burke, Hegazi
What can we make of those two teams, then?
Well, the headlines from the home camp centre around a very strong front three named by Jurgen Klopp, with Mane, Salah and Firmino all retaining their places in the side.
The games have not been coming as thick and fast for Liverpool over the past couple of weeks, but with the resumption of the Champions League on the horizon it was thought that Klopp may look to rest some players for tonight's game. All of his big-hitters in attack start this evening, though.
Klopp is able to welcome Alberto Moreno back into his starting lineup this evening, with the Spaniard making his first appearance since December 6 following an ankle injury.
Moreno had revitalised his Liverpool career during the first half of the season, having seemingly been on his way out in the summer, but he will now face a fight to get his spot in the team back from Andrew Robertson, who has impressed in his absence.
Moreno's return is one of just three changes made to the team which lost to Swansea on Monday night, with all of those coming in defence as Alexander-Arnold replaces Gomez on the opposite flank and Simon Mignolet gets the gloves in goal.
Mignolet's inclusion is more evidence that he has been usurped as Liverpool's number one by Loris Karius, who has been the club's cup goalkeeper throughout the season until being preferred to the Belgian in the Premier League recently. It is chances like this which Mignolet needs to take if he is to win that place back, though.
In front of Mignolet, Matip and Virgil van Dijk retain their places at the heart of the defence, with the latter scoring a late winning goal on his debut against Everton in the third round of this competition.
Lovren has recovered from illness and is named on the bench alongside Milner and Henderson, both of whom have also returned from recently problems to be amongst the subs today. Milner has been struggling with a dead leg, while club captain Henderson has missed the past month with a hamstring injury.
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West Brom's buildup to this match has been heavily disrupted by a bug which has swept through the squad, although that hasn't ruled out some of the players who were affected by that.
McClean, Hegazi, McAuley, Foster and Rodriguez have all been unable to train in recent days because of the illness, but the latter two are named in the starting lineup this evening while Hegazi and McClean are on the bench.
There is another start for Jonny Evans this evening despite ongoing speculation over his future, although the likelihood of him leaving The Hawthorns this month looks increasingly slim with each passing day.
Manchester City and Arsenal have both been credited with an interest, but it certainly hasn't turned into a saga yet and West Brom would surely only let a player of his importance leave now if they had someone already lined up as his replacement.
Baggies boss
Alan Pardew has made three changes from the team which travelled to the blue half of Merseyside last weekend, with Nyom, Livermore and Robson-Kanu the men to come into the side.
Hegazi, Phillips and Rondon all drop out, the latter of whom was a real handful at Goodison Park and continued to threaten the Everton defence even after being visibly upset by his unwitting role in James McCarthy's horrific leg break.
There are four changes to this side from West Brom's starting XI in the third-round win over Exeter, which perhaps hints at a lack of depth in the West Brom squad that they name seven of the same players against Liverpool as they did against a League Two opponent.
There is plenty of experience in the starting XI nonetheless, though, and Gareth Barry in particular would love to get one over on Liverpool with his Everton background.
Liverpool will certainly come into this match as favourites, but their confidence will have taken a hit on Monday night when they fell to that shock defeat at the hands of Swansea - a result which may have also raised West Brom's belief that they can get something out of this game.
The defeat to Swansea came out of the blue, although many fans will not have been too surprised having grown used to Liverpool's inconsistent ways in recent seasons. To have beaten the Premier League leaders before losing to bottom of the league is something which only two teams in Premier League history have ever done before, and the Reds will not be particularly proud of becoming the third.
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What made the defeat all the more surprising is the fact that it was their first since October, and only their third defeat of the season - a tally of losses only Man City can beat.
The Reds had been on their longest unbeaten run under Jurgen Klopp prior to the loss - 18 matches - and had also won their last five in a row across all competitions.
Another defeat tonight would see Liverpool fall to successive losses for the first time in 12 months, although the most recent occasion came in the FA Cup fourth round last season when they were beaten here at Anfield by Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Indeed, Liverpool have been knocked out in the FA Cup fourth round in both of the last two seasons, so they will need to get over a mini-hoodoo tonight if they are to pick up the victory.
Liverpool have made it into the fourth round of the FA Cup for a seventh successive season courtesy of a 2-1 triumph over Merseyside rivals Everton in the third round earlier this month, with Virgil van Dijk announcing himself to the fans in style with a late winner in front of the Kop that night.
This competition remains Liverpool most realistic to win silverware this season, which may go to explain why Jurgen Klopp has named a strong lineup tonight as he continues his search for a first trophy in charge of the club.
Liverpool can be fantastic and frustrating to watch in equal measure at times, but Jurgen Klopp at the very least seems to have turned Anfield into a fortress once again, with the Reds unbeaten here across all competitions so far this season.
Indeed, including the tail end of last season Liverpool's unbeaten Anfield run stretches back 19 games to April 23, making them one of only two teams - alongside Manchester City - to still be unbeaten at home in the Premier League this term.
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A victory for Liverpool this evening would make it five home wins on the bounce for the first time since November 2016, although West Brom were the last visiting team to avoid defeat here at Anfield when they held on for a goalless draw on December 13.
Liverpool's record here in the FA Cup has not been quite as good in recent years, winning just two of their last seven Anfield outings in this competition. However, the Reds have also only lost one of their last 13 FA Cup home games stretching back to January 2010, with that defeat coming at the hands of Wolves in this round a year ago.
Liverpool have plenty of pedigree in this competition down the years, lifting the famous trophy on seven previous occasions - a tally only Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur can beat.
However, Liverpool have not won the trophy since 2006 - aka the 'Gerrard final' - which is far too long a wait for a club of their calibre. Fans are desperate to mark their progress under Klopp with a trophy, and this is their best shot to do that this season.
Alan Pardew was the opposition manager in that 2006 final when his West Ham team came within a whisker of winning the cup, only for a swing of Gerrard's boot to send it to penalties, which Liverpool eventually won.
Pardew himself has a decent pedigree in this competitions, though, reaching the final once as a player - with Palace in 1990 - and twice as a manager. In addition to that 2016 final, Pardew was also in charge of Palace a decade later as they lost to Manchester United.
It is certainly a competition with history for Pardew, then, albeit not particularly happy memories as far as his managerial career is concerned.
West Brom as a club are also one of the great names in the FA Cup's long and illustrious history having lifted the trophy five times, but the most recent of those came in 1968 - when they beat Liverpool en route. One has to go back to the 1800s for West Brom's glory days in this competition, when they reached five finals and won two of them.
Modern-day West Brom could only dream of such success, although they do at least appear to be on the up again now following a dismal run.
The Baggies have won two of their last three games across all competitions - drawing the other against Everton at the weekend - having failed to win any of their previous 21 outings, a club-record run of games without a win. Another win or draw tonight would see them stay unbeaten for four matches for the first time since August.
This is a pivotal stage of the season for the Baggies too, with a very difficult run coming up. Pardew's side take on Liverpool tonight before facing Manchester City and Chelsea in two of their next three league games, and sandwiched in between them is a huge relegation battle against fellow strugglers Southampton.
West Brom currently sit just three points from safety, but no team has won fewer games this season and they could risk getting cut adrift if that doesn't change soon.
A cup run could help to distract West Brom from their league form, though, and they have already made it further this season than they did last, when they were beaten by Derby County in the third round.
The Baggies beat League Two side Exeter City in the third round this season, although this will be a huge step up in quality from that and the Baggies have only progressed from one of their last nine FA Cup ties against Premier League opposition, with six of those games coming while they were a Premier League team themselves.
It is West Brom's away form which will be of the biggest concern for Alan Pardew at the moment, with the Baggies' third-round victory at Exeter their only victory on the road in any competition from their last 12 attempts, losing seven of those.
Indeed, two of West Brom's three away wins all season have come in cup competitions against League Two opposition having also beaten Accrington Stanley in the EFL Cup in August. The only exception also came in August when West Brom beat Burnley at Turf Moor.
A run of Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea in successive away games is unlikely to improve that record much, although a draw or win tonight would see them string together three consecutive away games without defeat for the first time since September 2015.
The Baggies have also won three of their last four FA Cup away games, although in the Premier League this season only Stoke have picked up fewer points on the road.
PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Anfield, which means that it is time for a prediction!
FA Cup games are always a little more difficult to call, but Klopp has named a strong Liverpool side tonight and they have been good at Anfield this season. West Brom came away with a point from here in the league, but I am backing Liverpool to get the job done tonight.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Liverpool 2-0 West Brom
This will be the 11th FA Cup match between these two sides, but the most recent of those came all the way back in 1968, when West Brom needed a second replay to get past Liverpool en route to lifted the trophy for the last time.
West Brom actually have the superior record in the previous 10 FA Cup showdowns between the two sides, winning four of them with three defeats and three draws.
Indeed, Liverpool have hosted West Brom here in the FA Cup on three previous occasions, and they are still without a win in those matches, drawing twice and losing once.
The most recent such match was that 1968 contest when Liverpool drew 1-1 at Anfield in the quarter-final replay, having also been held to a stalemate in the initial tie at West Brom. The second replay eventually took place at Maine Road, where West Brom ran out 2-1 winners.
Across all competitions Liverpool's record in this fixture is a lot better, as you would expect, and the Baggies have not beaten the Reds since February 2013.
However, they have come away with five draws from the nine meetings since then, including the most recent contest which ended as a goalless draw here in December.
Right, the players are one their way out to the field and we're almost ready to go here. A quick reminder of the team news before we get started...
LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Mignolet; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Moreno; Can, Wijnaldum, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Mane, Salah, Firmino
WEST BROM STARTING XI: Foster; Nyom, Evans, Dawson, Gibbs; Livermore, Barry, Krychowiak; Rodriguez, Robson-Kanu, Brunt
KICKOFF: Here we go, then! Liverpool get us underway at Anfield!
Quick start from Liverpool as they pin West Brom back into this own half in the opening exchanges. The front three have all had an early touch of the ball, but their long-range shooting opportunities have come to nothing so far.
West Brom make their first venture forward, but it comes to an end when Brunt's delivery is overhit and goes behind for a goal kick.
GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 West Brom (Roberto Firmino)
What a start for Liverpool! They take the lead after less than six minutes following a catastrophic mix-up between Evans and Foster!
Evans leaves it for Foster thinking that he is coming for it, but he isn't and that allows Salah to nip in, The Egyptian is denied by Foster, but the ball then comes back out to Firmino who produces the most delightful of chips into the empty net.
GOAL! Liverpool 1-1 West Brom (Jay Rodriguez)
Oh my word, what a response from West Brom, and what a goal this is from
Jay Rodriguez!
Just 68 seconds after falling behind, the Baggies are back level as Rodriguez takes the ball in his stride before smashing an unstoppable strike into the top corner. It almost rips the netting out it is so powerful, and he couldn't have placed it much better either.
CHANCE! Liverpool hit back with another chance of their own as Firmino turns away from his man before finding Salah on the right. Salah then plays a pass across goal for Mane, but he just can't get on the end of it in the middle.
GOAL! Liverpool 1-2 West Brom (Jay Rodriguez)
This is quite incredible! West Brom had only scored 25 goals all season before today, but they have just got two in four minutes here at Anfield to turn this game on its head!
Krychowiak comes forward, beating Can before playing the ball out wide left to Gibbs. The full-back plays a low cross into the box and it finds its way through to Rodriguez, who makes no mistake with his first-time finish!
SHOT! Firmino works space for himself to get a shot away on the edge of the box, but his eventual effort is a long way high and wide of the target.
What a start to this match. Most will have been expecting West Brom to sit back and for Liverpool to face another difficult challenge of breaking them down, as was the case in the league meeting between these two. However, it has been anything but that in the opening 14 minutes here.
Here are those opening two goals, with just over a minute between them. Both are well worth a watch...
SHOT! Kieran Gibbs strides forward into the Liverpool half before trying his luck, but he fires his effort high and wide of the target.
Oxlade-Chamberlain comes forward down the right flank and has Firmino to aim for in the middle, but he puts too much on his cross and it is beyond the Brazilian at the far post.
Here is the goal which separates the two sides, Rodriguez's second...
GOAL! Liverpool 1-3 West Brom (Craig Dawson)
GOAL DISALLOWED BY VAR!
Liverpool have got away with one here! West Brom think they have gone 3-1 up following some astoundingly poor defending from a corner, with Dawson towering above Firmino to nod the ball in from close range, while Mignolet barely made an effort to get to the ball.
However, the referee goes to the video assistant and he chalks it off, seemingly for offside against Barry, who was standing in front of Mignolet.
SHOT! Salah finds a bit of shooting space from around 25 yards before letting fly, but his effort flies well over the crossbar.
We're back to the VAR! This is a lengthy one too as Salah goes down in the box under the challenge of Livermore, who appeared to pull him back. Craig Pawson is going to have a look for himself at the monitor before making his final decision...
PENALTY TO LIVERPOOL!
We haven't heard the last of this! Prepare for the VAR criticisms as, after a lengthy stoppage, Craig Pawson reverses his initial decision and points to the spot!
OFF THE BAR! ROBERTO FIRMINO MISSES!
The drama just doesn't stop in this match! After all the hubbub surrounding the awarding of the penalty, which took three minutes to clear up, Firmino misses the penalty.
The Brazilian went high and was only an inch or two off, but his spot kick smashes against the bar and comes back out as West Brom survive.
So that is two big VAR moments which could have turned a 3-1 West Brom lead into 2-2. As it stands, West Brom still have their lead, but it could have been better had this one not been disallowed...
CHANCE! Liverpool are still pushing for that second goal and almost get it here as Salah latches on to a ball over the top, beating Foster to it inside the area. He is forced wide but pulls it back for Firmino, whose shot is well blocked by Evans.
CHANCE! The resulting corner is met by Mane at the near post, but he cannot get a clean connection on it and it also eludes Matip behind him.
Gibbs is down here and it doesn't look like he will be able to continue. West Brom may be forced into an early change.
SAVE! Alexander-Arnold collects the ball on the right channel and tries his luck from range, but his effort is straight at Foster.
WEST BROM SUB: Here is the change as Ahmed Hegazi replaces Gibbs, but it could get even worse for West Brom as now Robson-Kanu is down and requiring treatment.
WEST BROM SUB: Sure enough there is a second change in the space of a minute for West Brom as Matty Phillips replaces Robson-Kanu.
If the VAR incidents earlier were confusing, you weren't alone. This may help to clear things up, but maybe not. It certainly needs a bit of fine-tuning!
This has been an incredible half of football for a number of reasons, but with just three minutes of it left West Brom are still the team in front. We can expect plenty of injury time courtesy of those VAR decisions, though.
Liverpool keep the ball in and around the West Brom box, but their promising attack breaks down when Salah loses the ball in a decent area.
CHANCE! Much better from Salah here as he races down the right channel, but he just can't wrap his right foot around it enough and slams his low strike into the side-netting.
There will be four minutes of added time at the end of this first half.
GOAL! Liverpool 1-3 West Brom (Joel Matip own goal)
This half wasn't going to go away quietly! West Brom have the ball in the back of the net once more, but it is referred to the VAR yet again!
Dawson breaks down the right channel and fires the ball across the face of goal. Two West Brom players can't stick it in, but Matip is heading back towards his own goal and, when trying to flick it away, the ball comes off him last and goes over the line.
The VAR decision is in, and the goal stands!
HALF TIME: Liverpool 1-3 West Bromwich Albion
Well, you won't see many more eventful halves than that this season!
At the end of it all, West Brom have a shock 3-1 lead over Liverpool at the break, but the goals have not been the main talking point from that opening 45 minutes. Instead, VAR has stolen the show so far, disallowing a West Brom goal and awarding Liverpool a penalty.
Liverpool broke the deadlock after only six minutes when Roberto Firmino produced an exquisite chip over a stranded Foster after the keeper had denied Salah following a defensive mix-up.
That lead lasted only 68 seconds before West Brom restored parity, though, and that goal also came in memorable fashion when Rodriguez blasted his finish into the top corner. Rodriguez then made it two in four minutes to turn the game on its head, tucking away a cross from Gibbs to make it 2-1 inside 11 minutes.
Incredibly, that was not the talking point of the first half, though, with VAR dividing opinion in two particular decisions.
The first saw West Brom have a goal disallowed after Dawson had nodded home a corner from close range, with the video referee ruling that Gareth Barry had been interfering with play from an offside position. Shortly after that Liverpool were awarded a VAR penalty in controversial fashion after Craig Pawson had initially waved away the claims, only for Firmino to go on and hit the crossbar from the spot kick.
As if that wasn't enough, West Brom then added a third right on the stroke of half time as
Joel Matip appeared to turn the ball into his own net after Dawson had fired an effort across goal.
Once again VAR was needed and delayed the visitors' celebrations, but this time the decision went in favour of the Baggies to leave Liverpool in real trouble at half time.
KICKOFF: West Brom get us back underway for the second half! Will we see as much drama as the opening 45 minutes?
CHANCE! West Brom are quick out of the blocks for the start of this second half too as Phillips races down the right channel, beating Matip before getting the ball across goal which Mignolet gets a big hand to before collecting at the second attempt inside his own six-yard box.
DISALLOWED GOAL! West Brom have the ball in the back of the net for a fifth time tonight, but again it is disallowed! This time the VAR is not needed, though, as Dawson beats Mignolet in the air to nod Brunt's sliced volley in. Dawson was well offside, though.
It has been almost one-way traffic in this second half so far, and all in West Brom's favour. Liverpool are yet to get going at all since the interval.
For all of the VAR-related drama we have seen in this match, it should not take away from the fact that West Brom have been very good tonight, while Liverpool have been poor. Defensively especially, the hosts have been all at sea at times.
Liverpool have started getting themselves back on the ball now and they are beginning to gain a degree of control over possession again, but they need to speed things up.
Can drives forward down the left channel, but he telegraphs his back-heel and Dawson reads it before intercepting. Not much is coming off for Liverpool at the moment.
Mane holds on to the ball seemingly for a little too long, but he is caught by Evans just as he releases it. Free kick to Liverpool in a dangerous area...
Alexander-Arnold takes it ahead of Salah, but his free kick slams into the top of the wall and goes behind for a corner.
YELLOW CARD! Can is the first Liverpool name in the book tonight for a trip on Barry.
Brunt plays the ball through for Phillips down the left flank and he has plenty of space to get the ball into the box, but Livermore can only make glancing contact with his header.
SHOT! Well, this would have been one of the most inventive goals of the season! Brunt, on the floor, manages to play an incredible one-two with Krychowiak, who then releases Phillips. Phillips races down the left channel, but skews his effort wide of the near post.
LIVERPOOL SUBS: Klopp is not a happy man on the sidelines, and he shows that with a triple change here. Jordan Henderson, Danny Ings and James Milner comes on for Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mane and Can.
Another moment of controversy for Liverpool as Ings goes to ground inside the box under the challenge of Foster. VAR immediately comes to mind, but the referee allows play to continue.
Liverpool have less than 20 minutes to get something out of this game now, or else they will once again be heading out of the fourth round for a third consecutive season.
WEST BROM SUB: The Baggies make their third and final change as Barry is replaced by Claudio Yacob.
Amid all of the absurdity that has taken place in this game, feast your eyes on this moment of class from Brunt...
CHANCE! Chance for Liverpool to haul themselves back into this match as Alexander-Arnold's low cross is only cleared as far as Milner, who connects with his half-volley sweetly. Foster is well placed to make a good save, though.
CHANCE! Again Foster comes to West Brom's rescue! Firmino slides the ball out to Ings, who cuts onto his right foot before seeing his curling drive pushed away by the keeper. The ball comes out to Milner, who sees his follow-up effort inventively saved by Foster, but the midfielder was in an offside position so it would not have counted anyway.
More appeals from he Kop as Salah goes down inside the box again, but this time there is no further drama. The referee says no, and the decision stays that way.
GOAL! Liverpool 2-3 West Brom (Mohamed Salah)
Liverpool have one back, and it is well and truly game on with just over 10 minutes remaining!
Alexander-Arnold swings a left-footed cross into the box which Firmino can only nudge into the path of Salah, who keeps his composure to pass his finish into the bottom corner for his 25th goal of the season!
Salah is now the third-fastest player to 25 goals in Liverpool's entire history, and he has beaten all of the names that might first spring to mind with that statistic. Ian Rush, Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler, Roger Hunt, Fernando Torres, Luis Suarez, Kenny Dalglish, Kevin Keegan and many more - none of them made such a quick goalscoring start for the club.
Anfield is suddenly in full voice again! Liverpool have eight minutes - plus any stoppage time - to pull off a memorable comeback here following an action-packed contest.
YELLOW CARD! Dawson trips Milner to pick up a yellow card, while Liverpool have a free kick in a dangerous crossing position.
YELLOW CARD! Hegazi quickly follows him into the book for dissent against the award of a corner to Liverpool.
Liverpool have won a couple of corners in the last few moments and both of them should have been cleared by the first man. That delivery just has to be better at this stage of games.
West Brom continue to hold out, but there are some walking wounded out there for the visitors at the moment! Livermore and Evans are both limping noticeably!
There will be FOUR minutes of added time at the end of this match!
CHANCE! One last chance for Liverpool at the death as Van Dijk gets a flick on his header, but Foster makes the save.
FULL TIME: Liverpool 2-3 West Bromwich Albion
WEST BROM REACH THE FIFTH ROUND OF THE FA CUP!
Phew! Where on earth do we start with that one?!
Well, ignoring all of the controversies and absurdities of many parts of that match, the bottom line is that West Bromwich Albion are through to the fifth round of the FA Cup at the expense of Liverpool, who crash out at this stage for the third successive season.
It is also a second consecutive defeat for the Reds - the first time that has happened in a year - and their first defeat at Anfield in 20 matches stretching back to April. All in all, a day to forget for Jurgen Klopp's side.
The scoreline only tells half of the story on what was an historic night in English football - and whether that is a good or bad thing will be the subject of much debate over the coming days.
This match saw three goals in the opening 11 minutes as Liverpool took the lead before a brace from Jay Rodriguez turned the game on its head, and the Baggies went on to take a 3-1 lead into half time. Liverpool pulled one back with 12 minutes remaining but ultimately did not deserve to force a replay.
The real talking points came with the use of VAR, though, as West Brom had a goal which was initially given chalked off, before moments later the referee changed his original decision to award Liverpool a penalty. Firmino went on to miss the spot kick, but the time it took to come to the final decision is sure to fire up plenty of opinions.
We haven't heard the last of the talking points from this game!
After one of the most eventful games you will see this season, I need a lie down.
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match as West Brom send Liverpool crashing out of the FA Cup in a game which saw the debate over VAR reach new heights in English football. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
