Liverpool vs West Brom, FA Cup fourth round: live score updates

That's Firmino missing the penalty. Foster guessed the right way but the shot was far too high - he wasn't getting near it. 

Mane fouls Dawson, giving West Brom another chance to launch a high ball into the area. Panic stations!

But instead they go short and keep possession. 

Oxlade-Chamberlain is hounded on the edge of the West Brom box but manages to keep his cool and bursts away with the ball. The pass after is out for a goal kick. 

West Brom are attacking really well here, this performance has all the marks of Pardew's forward thinking influence. 

That's a heavy challenge by Hegazi! Firmino pulls out of a 50/50 but is still hacked down by the Egyptian. No foul says the referee, West Brom attack and Van Dijk heads away a cross from the left. I'm really surprised that's not a booking, let alone a foul, for Hegazi's challenge.

AND THE BALL IS IN THE NET! 

Brunt volleys from outside the box, everyone is offside and Mignolet makes a total shambles of the clearance as it's headed in. Dreadful goalkeeping but the linesman and VAR has saved him there.

Moreno gives the ball away when he really shouldn't and West Brom can attack quickly in the Liverpool half! Phillips is too fast for the chasing players, gets to the box and shoots at a narrow angle. Mignolet parries it into the air and catches the loose ball. 

Liverpool counter and win a corner. Oxlade-Chamberlain comes over to take it as an outswinger. Headed away at the near post.

We're back! West Brom get the second half started, the VAR looks nice and refreshed after a half time break.

That's what Jake Humphrey has asked Graham Poll.

"The thing is when we look at VAR it takes about 2 minutes 30 when the referee goes to look at the video. Yes it takes time but it's about the referee getting it right. He looked at it and gave a penalty kick. As we move on it will take less time.

"Four minutes is a long time but this is only the sixth time we've used it and the first time the referee has gone to the screen. It'll get better, it's the start of a journey, let's see where it takes us.

"People would get upset with it, you want to celebrate the moment but let's not get too critical."

Now. The controversy about VAR in that half isn't about the decisions, it's about the length of time it's taken to arrive at those and how little the watching crowd actually understands about the process. In rugby it's clear what's happening because everything goes up on the big screen - everybody is involved instead of it being a closed screening for the officials. Is that to give them a little privacy to make their decisions away from the hugely scrutinous eye of a football audience? 

A way to fix this might be simply to indicate exactly why the VAR is having a look. If it's offside do a little flag gesture, if it's for a foul like a shirt pull, do a shirt pull gesture. Or play the referee's mic through the speakers? There's  a good chance of picking up some 'adult' language if the did the latter but again, it's something which would involve the crowd and make things clear. 

The most realistic is simply putting the reason for VAR replay on the replay shown on the big screens.

Emre Can says something which doesn't look entirely friendly to the referee, Jay Rodriguez comes over to ask him a question. Get ready for 15 minutes of BT Sport pundits debating whether technology is good or bad. 

The weirdest, most different half of football I've seen since... referees were allowed to look at video evidence to help support their decision. 

Jon Champion cannot seem to get his head around how long it takes a team of referees to make 100 per cent sure they have their decision correct. 

GOOOOOAAAAALLLLLL! Pawson has allowed the goal. The West Brom fans get a second chance to cheer their goal.

Liverpool 1 - 3 (Matip o.g) West Brom 

West Brom are further ahead! It's another set piece meltdown from Liverpool! 

Liverpool 1 - 3 (IF VAR ALLOWS IT) West Brom 

A long free-kick to the back post, headed away, Krychowiak is played onside and fires it across the box and Matip touches it inside. The referee's looking at VAR again! 

West Brom are moving the ball really well in their own half to avoid the Liverpool press. Liverpool work their way into the final third, run out of ideas and West Brom break. 

Salah is sent on his way as Krychowiak is caught in possession. He's too fast for the centre-backs but shoots into the side netting once inside the box. Four minutes of added time to come apparently.

West Brom attack Liverpool deep in their half, Mignolet gets a headed pass back.

A long ball over the top puts Phillips back in an attacking position and he wins a throw courtesy of Moreno. 

And now Robson-Kanu is asking the referee to look at VAR to discover what it was that caused him to get injured. Players seem to be losing their cool with the application of the technology. The replay shows that he's just pulled up with a muscle injury, so he's either insane, trying to make a statement, or... another reason. Phillips is on now. West Brom only have one substitution left.

Alexander-Arnold shoots from range. Pardew tells Foster to put the ball out for a throw-in to get Hagazi on, Alexander-Arnold nearly controls it on the touchline. And now Robson-Kanu is broken. He's sat down and getting treatment, Matty Phillips is told to get ready. 

That's Craig Pawson watching VAR to make his decision. Hagazi still isn't ready to come on for Gibbs. Why. He's a professional footballer, sat on the bench during a professional football game. Why isn't he wearing football clothes.

Mane has gone down theatrically, as though struck with the mighty power of Thor's hammer into his face. And he's up again! It turns out he's fine now. 

Wijnaldum gets a sore one off Gareth Barry. He's been booked already for dissent and has cleaned out Wijnaldum from behind there.

Oxlade-Chamberlain's free-kick isn't great but Krychowiak's sliced clearance almost makes it so. Mane keeps running into blind alleys down that left channel, like a wasp into a window. Matip puts the ball out because Gibbs has pulled up with a hamstring injury. He'll have to come off.

Alan Pardew, denier of technology, is on the touchline getting angry at each decision which goes against his team. Jon Moss, fourth official, is getting an absolute verbal hiding on the touchline.

Salah is in! Foster comes out and the forward goes around him but doesn't have any pitch left to shoot. 

Now the referee is asking to check whether there was an infringement before the corner is taken... there isn't.. the corner comes in and West Brom scramble it away! 

The commentator is getting really worked up about this. "It's like going to see a film and the paying spectators don't know what's going on!" he says. Steve McManaman seems to be far more accepting of the technology.

That's when Salah goes down in the box. At real speed, it's a penalty. 

After all that! Of course he had to miss. Firmino hits his penalty onto the bar! 

Livermore has his hand over his mouth as he talks to Salah. Salah talks back. It looks amicable enough.

Wow. Amazing. This is so cool. It's the right decision too. West Brom players are still moaning at the referee - it's a clear penalty and it's been reviewed! What's wrong with them!? It's on a screen. Pawson books a player for dissent.

West Brom players surround the referee who tells them he's waiting to hear what the VAR say. The commentators are getting all upset because the crowd doesn't know what's going on. I'm pretty sure they can figure it out.

The referee is going to go over and watch the replay for himself. ISN'T THIS EXCITING!?

Liverpool attack, Mane cuts onto his right foot and sets up Salah, who shoots way over.

Salah goes down in the area! He wants the referee to look at the incident on VAR! Salah says he's been pulled back by Livermore and it looks like he has! What will the VAR say?!

That's the first time in England that VAR has been used to cancel a goal out. And the reason for that is a West Brom player is juuuuuuuust offside ahead of the header for the goal. Really weird.

West Brom have scored the weirdest headed goal. Brunt's cross is high and floated in to the six yard box. The goalkeeper doesn't come, Firmino just stands there... and it's headed in.

BUT IT'S NOT! The VAR has ruled it out! Incredible scenes.

Oxlade-Chamberlain's delivery from wide is really inconsistent and he bends a cross from wide right away from any player attacking it in the area. Pardew is shouting to his players to get tighter while marking their men.

Firmino is celebrating there, not yawning.

Livermore wins a corner. Brunt floats it into the area.

Mane is in on the left but takes a second too long to decide where to put the ball and runs out of options. Can tries to volley from the edge of the box but ends up accidentally controlling the ball instead.

Gibbs moves inside the pitch into the final third and shoots over.

Is there a nicer football site than a player effortlessly killing the ball with one touch after its dropped out of the sky? Firmino does exactly that but bends his shot miles wide.

Wijnaldum spots danger and bursts forward to stop a West Brom counter-attack from a poor pass in the Liverpool half.

It's Rodriguez again! Brilliant run from Krychowiak!

Liverpool 1 - 2 (Rodriguez 11') West Brom

He holds off Can with a series of little movements on the ball, feeds it wide left to Gibbs, who slides a low pass into the box. Rodriguez times his run perfectly to pass into the goal.

This is way more open than you might have expected for a West Brom game. Firmino comes forward with the ball but has to wait for Mane and then Salah to get back onside. Only three defenders are in the way, Salah pulls the ball to the near post and Mane's clever off the ball movement sees him arrive just slightly too late to get a shot at the near post.

WHAT A HIT! James Rodriguez has nearly taken the net off!

Liverpool 1 - 1 (Rodriguez 7') West Brom

West Brom attack straight from kick-off and Rodriguez forces his way onto the ball at the edge of the box. His right footed strike flies like a rocket into the back of the net. No goalkeeper in the world is getting close to that.

Beautiful finish from Firmino. 

Liverpool 1 (Firmino 5') - 0 West Brom

Evans thinks the goalkeeper is coming out to deal with a poor back pass from Brunt but there's a mix up and Mane runs in behind. He must score... but hits the goalkeeper! Firmino follows up and chips the ball over the goalkeeper from 20 yards! Superb. And it hits the net so looks even cooler.

Mane tries a shot from the D but doesn't get any power on it and is blocked. 

West Brom are in a 4-4-1-1 and it's really narrow, Liverpool look like they have twice as many players when they come forward.

Liverpool stretch the pitch horizontally from the start with Mane heading towards the penalty area to take a long pass down. West Brom are sitting with a pretty deep defensive line near the penalty area (when in their own half).

Liverpool get us started. "Craig Pawson is the latest involved in the trial of VAR," says the commentator. Let's hope VAR gets off, I'm not sure if they still have the death penalty around these parts.

Steven Gerrard reckons Klopp's hand has been forced by the poor result and performance against Swansea last week. If that had gone to plan, it's likely we'd not see so many first team players starting tonight.

Aww isn't he nice? Or she. Actually, robots are probably gender neutral. Whichever, the VAR robot is at Anfield tonight to help the referees get their decision making right. There's a button somewhere that makes him do a little dance as well. I'm about 60 per cent sure that's true.

 Oocha beasties. Isn't that a picture?

Both managers have named pretty much first-choice starting teams. 

Liverpool XI: Mignolet; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Moreno; Can, Wijnaldum, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Mane, Salah, Firmino.
Substitutes: Ward; Lovren, Milner, Gomez, Henderson, Ings, Solanke.

West Brom XI: Foster; Nyom, Evans, Dawson, Brunt, Gibbs; Livermore, Barry, Krychowiak; Rodriguez; Robson-Kanu.
Substitutes: Myhill, Yacob, Rondon, Phillips, McClean, Burke, Hegazi.

It's Saturday night! There's football on! What a world we live in. Tonight is an all Premier League FA Cup tie between Jurgen Klopp's fizzing Liverpool and Alan Pardew's... Pardewish West Brom. 

West Brom come into the game with inconsistent, if not consistently bad form and speculation about their best, and perhaps most important player, Jonny Evans, could easily cause a little instability in the back. It also might affect precisely nothing - without being a West Brom player, it's impossible to say.

However, the only rocky ground at Liverpool just now is the team's ability to destroy big name opponents in one game and their regrettable tendency to approach matches against middling teams at 80 per cent in the next. Klopp's heavy metal football needs to be played at full volume to work. Here's a video I made about it in pre-season:

Liverpool have a growing injury list, with Adam Lallana back in the treatment room, joined by James Milner. Daniel Sturridge, shockingly, might actually play tonight but Dejan Lovren is expected to miss out.

West Brom say Evans is doubtful... mysterious... and Nacer Chadli and James Morrison are injured. The actual lineups should be with us by about 6:30pm.