Liverpool: Jay Rodriguez scored twice as West Brom knocked Premier League rivals Liverpool out of the FA Cup with a 3-2 win at Anfield on Saturday in a tie overshadowed by the use of the Video Assistant Referee.
A remarkable first half on Merseyside saw West Brom go 2-1 up inside 11 minutes against seven-times FA Cup winners Liverpool only to have a goal chalked off by VAR before, in a subsequent incident on the stroke of half-time, the system confirmed they had gone 3-1 ahead via Joel Matip’s own-goal.
In between, Liverpool were awarded a penalty after a prolonged VAR review only for Roberto Firmino’s spot-kick to come back off the crossbar.
The build up to the penalty decision saw Craig Pawson become the first English referee to consult a pitchside replay, with players and fans angry over the four-minute delay from the time Mohamed Salah fell in the box to the award of a spot-kick.
Salah’s first FA Cup goal, his 25th goal in just 32 appearances for the Reds, gave Liverpool hope of a comeback but the Baggies held on for a deserved fourth-round win that took them into the last 16.
Liverpool knocked out of FA Cup by West Brom after VAR chaos
Liverpool knocked out of FA Cup by West Brom after VAR chaos
