West Ham beat Liverpool in the FA Cup

The fourth round of the FA Cup tie has now been concluded after West Ham beat Liverpool on their home ground 2-1 of extra-time. The game started off with a slow tempo, but towards the end of the first half, the hosts managed to notch a goal. West Ham’s striker Valencia made a beautiful cross into the box which newly joined winger Michail Antonio was quick to strike in the back of Liverpool’s net with a sublime volley.

(Image credit: ESPN)

But it seemed that Jurgen Klopp gave a few words of wisdom to his men during half time, as right after the second half whistle Liverpool bounced back. Coutinho scored a goal in the 48th minute form a free-kick, which equalled the game. In the 59th minute he was replaced by Sturridge, however the striker didn’t have much of an impact in the game. Bilic then brought on Collins for Reid in the 65th minute, while 10 minutes later Kouyate was replaced with Carroll. Former Liverpool player Victor Moses also saw some action as he came on in the 87th minute of the match.

With the scoreboard level, the game went into extra-time, and boy was it a thrill for the home fans. The Reds couldn’t find another chance at goal in extra-time, even after Klopp brought on Milner in the 101st minute. In the dying moments of the game, the Hammers were awarded a free-kick; Payet crossed the ball in and the imposing defender Ogbonna headed the ball into the opposition’s net for a 2-1 score, which saw West Ham beat Liverpool in the final minutes of extra-time.

Klopp was naturally disappointed after the final whistle, despite believing they put in a good show. “We did a lot of good things really good, we played the game in the right direction. But the first real chance went to West Ham,” said Klopp. He also added that he didn’t agree with the referee’s decision to award West Ham the late free-kick, which ultimately led to the goal. “They got the free-kick, without a foul, and we concede a goal. So now we go home. We created chacnes, but we didn’t score goals – that’s the major mistake you can make in football. But it’s better to create chances and to miss than to not create chances,” said the former Dortmund manager.

His counterpart Slaven Bilic, on the other hand, was obviously delighted with the late win. He hailed this game will go down as one of the best ever in the club’s history, according to BBC Sport. After West Ham beat Liverpool, the former Croatia boss stressed, “It will go into the history of West Ham’s greatest games. Against Liverpool, the last season at Upton Park, night kick-off, a goal in the last minute. They left their heart on the pitch.”