FA Cup 2017/18: Liverpool 2-3 West Brom - Player Ratings 

Liverpool v West Bromwich Albion - The Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round
Liverpool have crashed out of the FA Cup in the 4th round for 3 consecutive seasons now

Phew! This game had it all. Drama, action, confusion, a missed penalty, a goal disallowed and an own goal! VAR was used extensively in this game, causing a lot of confusions in the 1st half.

West Brom are through to the next round of the FA Cup thanks to a great performance by the team. Liverpool opened the scoring and the Baggies replied with a goal in just 71 seconds. They doubled their lead within a few minutes. An own goal from Matip tripled their lead just before halftime.

The Reds tried to make a comeback in the 2nd half. Salah scored in the 78th minute giving Liverpool some hope but it was just not enough.

Here are how the players rated from the game.


West Bromwich Albion

Liverpool v West Bromwich Albion - The Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round
West Brom's best player on the pitch tonight

Ben Foster - 8/10

Despite giving an early goal, Foster made incredible saves to deny Liverpool from getting back into the game. If not for him, West Brom would have probably lost the match.

Allan Nyom - 7/10

He did what he was asked to do. He didn't give Mane the freedom he needed and kept him quite in the game.

Craig Dawson - 7/10

A great night for Dawson. He was confident in the game and stood firm in his centre-back performance before switching as a right-back once Gibbs was subbed.

Jonny Evans - 6/10

While Evans was responsible for Liverpool's early goal, he did well for the rest of the night. Was this his last performance for the Baggies?

Kieran Gibbs - 6.5/10

Gibbs had a great game. He did well and stuck to his basics, also providing an assist for Jay Rodriguez. Just before the halftime, he picked up, what appeared to look like, a hamstring injury. Hopefully, it's not that bad.

Jake Livermore - 7/10

A solid performance from Livermore. He did well while defending and even went forward to help his team.

Gareth Barry - 8/10

Gareth Barry has proven that age is a just a number. He had a fantastic game tonight. The 36-year-old used his experience and screened the back 4 excellently.

Grzegorz Krychowiak - 8/10

Another fantastic performance from Krychowiak tonight. He was the beating heart of the midfield.

Chris Brunt - 8/10

He played a very important part in Rodriguez's 1st goal and his set-pieces were on target throughout the game.

Hal Robson-Kanu - 6/10

He didn't play much as he was forced off an injury in the 37th minute. However, he was crucial in the 1st two goals by Rodriguez

Jay Rodriguez - 9/10

A night to remember for Rodriguez. 2 goals in quick succession put the Baggies on top of Liverpool. A fantastic finish for the 1st and arrived at the right place at the right time for the 2nd.

Substitutes

Claudio Yacob - 6/10

He came on in the last 20 minutes for Barry. He did everything to protect the defence of West Brom.

Mat Phillips - 7/10

He came on early in the game because of an injury to Robson-Kanu. He was a treat to watch and almost scored with a lob.

Ahmed Hegazi - 7/10

He came on early for an injured Gibbs. He played perfectly in the back 4 of West Brom and made towering headers later in the game.

Liverpool

Liverpool v West Bromwich Albion - The Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round

The honeymoon period is over for the former Southampton player

Simon Mignolet - 5/10

Mignolet couldn't do much about the goals scored. However, he could have positioned himself better and was guilty of trying to punch the ball when he was miles away. Time to purchase a keeper before the transfer window closes?

Trent Alexander-Arnold - 4/10

Probably his worst game for Liverpool this season. He should have done better as 2 goals were scored down his flank. Overall, he was sloppy for the most part of the game.

Joel Matip - 4/10

A disappointing night for the player. The centre of the Reds defence looked vulnerable and Matip looked to have no control at the back. An own goal just made things worse.

Virgil Van Dijk - 4/10

The fans expect a lot more from their record signing. Van Dijk was too casual tonight. He struggled a lot throughout the game but almost scored a goal for the club in the dying minutes of 2nd half.

Alberto Moreno - 4/10

He had somewhat of a mixed night. Moreno was too slow to react as most attacks developed. However, he did go forward for support and also put a decent ball in only for Igns to slip.

Emre Can - 4/10

A night to forget for the German. Can was beaten in midfield while West Brom scored their 2nd goal. He didn't show much progress in the 2nd half was substituted in the 65th minute.

Georginio Wijnaldum - 5/10

He gave the ball away too many times and was poor in the set-pieces as well. He tried his best, but it was just not his night.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - 6/10

Probably the only player in midfield who genuinely tried his best tonight. He was poor with set-pieces and never really got in the game.

Sadio Mane - 5/10

Not the best night for Mane. He didn't really contribute in the 1st half but got better in the 2nd before being substituted by the manager. He struggled to break into the Baggies defence.

Mohamed Salah - 7/10

Without any doubt, Liverpool's best player for the night. His positioning was great and got his club the penalty, courtesy the VAR, which however couldn't be converted. He also scored his 25th goal of the season, which was not enough to save Liverpool tonight.

Roberto Firmino - 6/10

Had Firmino converted the penalty, things would have been different. He started the night by scoring a wonderful chip. Apart from that, he didn't do much for the rest of the game.

Substitutes

James Milner - 6/10

He did what he could in the last 25 minutes. He had a shot on target which was well saved by the keeper.

Jordan Henderson - 6/10

It was good to see Henderson back after an injury. He tried to help in whatever way he could, but it just wasn't enough.

Danny Ings - 6/10

2 appearances in as many games for Ings. He did well to have a shot at the keeper but slipped when Moreno created a chance.


Special Rating

Liverpool v West Bromwich Albion - The Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round
VAR being used to see whether or not it was a penalty for the Reds

VAR - 9/10

VAR was spot on throughout the game. It was used extensively in the 1st half but did get all the decisions right. However, it also took too long to make those decisions. Minus 1 for that!

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