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 halftime, 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 pitch-side 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.
AFP
