West Ham 2-1 Liverpool: FA Cup fourth round replay as it happened
Full-time: West Ham 2-1 Liverpool
- Angelo Ogbonna headed home Dimitri Payet's free kick in the final seconds of extra-time to secure a fifth-round trip to Blackburn Rovers
- Michail Antonio gave West Ham the lead with a fine volley on the stoke of half-time
- Philippe Coutinho returned from a hamstring problem to equalise with a clever free-kick
- Injury-plagued striker Daniel Sturridge came on as a second-half substitute to make his first appearance since 6 December
- Hammers lost centre-back Winston Reid to a hamstring injury
Extraordinary.
West Ham win a free-kick on the right-hand side following Lucas' foul on Valencia. Payet then steps up to send in a deep ball that Ogbonna, soaring high above Flanagan and Stewart, heads powerfully past Mignolet and into the far corner.
Surely that's the goal that will send the Hammers into round five.
The West Ham supporters cry for a free-kick after a tough challenge from Flanagan on Carroll, but referee East plays advantage. The Liverpool right-back is a tad fortunate not to be cautioned for that.
Another injury delay now as Valencia receives treatment after being caught on the follow through from Lucas' committed block.
An unmarked Noble lets fly with an accurate shot from distance after receiving possession from Payet. Mignolet gets across to make the save.
At the other end, Benteke has two chances to score. First he sees a volley drift wide of the post, then he is sent clean through only to be thwarted by the legs of Randolph.
That will not do his fragile confidence much good at all.
That was unquestionably a more entertaining affair than the original tie at Anfield last month. There have been no shortage of chances, penalty appeals and talking points.
Klopp will be pleased with his young side and he has enough senior players on the field now to make the difference. West Ham, who have used all three of their substitutes, will be relying upon the likes of Antonio, Moses and Payet to create for Valencia.
Well, that equaliser certainly didn't take long. After Benteke is fouled by Obiang during a strong run across the edge of the box, Coutinho takes advantage of a leaping wall to roll a clever low effort past Randolph and into the back of the net.
How glad Klopp will be to have the Brazilian back in action.
The goal frames are taking an absolute battering here.
After Ibe fouls Kouyate in a dangerous central position, Payet steps up to bend a quality free-kick against the post. It looked like Mignolet just got a hand to it.
In the ensuing melee, Antonio looks to head home the rebound but Mignolet punches clear.
Goalmouth action at last as a corner from Coutinho is headed back across goal by Benteke. Teixeira is unable to get a shot away and Kouyate eventually pokes the ball away from danger after it strikes the arm of O'Brien.
Benteke threatens again from the next delivery but his effort at the back post is diverted behind by Randolph.
It's been a relatively calm start here, which is probably best for the frequently animated Klopp just 48 hours removed from surgery to remove his troublesome appendix.
Dimitri Payet will presumably be seeking to make an impact tonight after West Ham released an official statement earlier on Tuesday to reject reports that the highly-rated Frenchman had demanded an improved contract worth £125,000-per-week.
They did admit that talks were ongoing over a new deal, however. Payet has made quite the impression since joining from Marseille for £10m in June 2015.
O'Brien, who came on as a first-half substitute during the original tie at Anfield, has not started at all for West Ham since their failed Europa League qualifying campaign last summer.
He plays tonight as a solution to a right-back crisis that has seen Arsenal loanee Carl Jenkinson suffer a season-ending knee injury. January signing Sam Byram is cup-tied and James Tomkins hurt his calf at Southampton.
Liverpool's back four make give cause for legitimate concern tonight.
Although supporters will be delighted to see Jon Flanagan make what is only his second senior start after a serious knee injury kept him sidelined for 18 months, a centre-back pairing of Tiago Ilori and midfielder Lucas is likely to be sorely tested.
Martin Skrtel recently suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring problem sustained at Watford in December. The Slovakian is expected to miss two or three more weeks, while Dejan Lovren and Joe Allen both limped out of that draw with Sunderland before half-time.
Kolo Toure and Mamadou Sakho are both rested as Klopp's side play their 12th match of 2016 already.
As for West Ham, Slaven Bilic makes five changes to the team that fell to a 1-0 defeat at Southampton last time out.
Second-string goalkeeper Darren Randolph replaces Adrian, while Joey O'Brien makes his first start since July at right-back. Angelo Ogbonna is paired with Winston Reid in the heart of defence and Pedro Obiang deputises for Alex Song.
Cheikhou Kouyate has recovered from an eye infection and he comes back in at the expense of Victor Moses.
So 10 changes in all from Klopp, who keeps faith in many of Liverpool's younger players in cup competition. Simon Mignolet is the only member of that starting XI to retain his place from Saturday's draw with Sunderland.
Coutinho returns after being sidelined for over a month with a hamstring injury, while Christian Benteke leads the line. Injury-plagued striker Daniel Sturridge is named on the bench for the second match running as he seeks to make his first appearance since early December.
This is the fourth time that these two sides have faced-off during the 2015-16 season, with Liverpool having lost both Premier League meetings.
Philippe Coutinho and Mark Noble were each dismissed during a comprehensive Hammers win at Anfield in August, while their most recent meeting in January finished 2-0 courtesy of a header in each half from Michail Antonio and Andy Carroll.
Following a dour goalless draw on Merseyside last month, West Ham and Liverpool reconvene at Upton Park this evening for one of only two FA Cup fourth-round replays.
The visitors will have Jurgen Klopp back on the touchline for this one after he missed Saturday's Premier League clash with Sunderland due to a painful bout of appendicitis.
Liverpool led 2-0 against the struggling Black Cats courtesy of goals from Roberto Firmino and Adam Lallana, but a late equaliser from Jermain Defoe only served to exacerbate the sense of anger and gloom brought on by a pre-planned protest against the club's new ticket pricing structure that saw as many as 10,000 home fans desert Anfield in the 77th minute.
The fallout from that row has continued in recent days, with many past greats lending their support to the cause. It would be a huge surprise not to see emotive banners and flags unfurled in the away end during tonight's match.
Kick-off is at 19.45 GMT, so stay with IBTimes UK for live coverage throughout....
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.