Liverpool take on West Brom in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday night at Anfield. Here are the key stats and facts ahead of the clash.
FA Cup History
This is the eighth time the teams have been drawn together in the world’s oldest national football competition. Liverpool have progressed three times; West Brom have won four.
It will be the first FA Cup meeting between the teams for 50 years since the Baggies won a quarter-final at the third attempt at Maine Road.
The teams drew 0-0 at the Hawthorns and 1-1 at Anfield where Jeff Astle scored for the visitors and Tony Hateley for Liverpool. They were both on the scoresheet in the second replay with the winning goal coming from Clive Clark.
The teams have met three times at Anfield in the FA Cup and the Reds have yet to win—drawing twice and losing in 1922.
Van Dijk the Goalscorer
Virgil van Dijk became only the third player since the war (and only the fourth ever) to score for Liverpool when his debut was in the FA Cup, following Billy Liddell in 1946 at Chester and Daniel Sturridge away to Mansfield in 2013.
Virgil van Dijk has scored two goals in his three appearances in this competition having scored for Southampton at Norwich last season—also in the third round.
Hat-Tricks
The last Liverpool hat-trick in the FA Cup was scored by Yossi Benayoun against non-league Havant & Waterlooville in this round 10 years ago.
It is one of 19 hat-tricks scored by a Liverpool player in this competition.
The last Liverpool player to score a hat-trick against West Brom was Luis Suarez in October 2013, the first at Anfield since Roger Hunt in 1968.
Three other Liverpool players have scored league hat-tricks against Albion—Gordon Hodgson (1932), John Wark (1985) and Michael Owen (2003).
FA Cup Debutants?
Mohamed Salah has yet to play for Liverpool in this competition, he has scored 13 goals at Anfield this season in 16 appearances.
Also waiting to make their FA Cup bow for the club are Danny Ings and Danny Ward.
Liverpool’s Productive Year
The last time Liverpool failed to score in successive games was just over a year ago when Plymouth (FA Cup) and Southampton (League Cup) kept clean sheets.
A year ago this weekend the Reds last lost a second game in a row—at home to Wolves in the FA Cup.
The defeat at Swansea last Monday was only the fifth in their last 46 matches in league and cup.
West Brom’s Anfield Form
Since winning at Anfield in February 2013 the Baggies have not won in nine meetings (all in the league) losing four and drawing five.
Albion have won two of their last 31 visits to Anfield in all competitions, both in the league in successive seasons in 2012 and 2013.
Five of the last eight meetings home and away have ended in stalemate.
Pardew’s Mixed Fortunes
As a player Alan Pardew scored the winning goal against Liverpool in Crystal Palace‘s 4-3 extra-time win at Villa Park in the 1990 FA Cup semi-final.
Pardew as a manager has lost both his FA Cup meetings with Liverpool—with West Ham in the final in 2006 and Crystal Palace in 2015. He has won twice at Anfield as a manager—both with Palace during the 2015 calendar year.
This Season’s Scorers
Liverpool: Salah (24), Firmino (17), Coutinho (12), Mane (9), Can (4), Oxlade-Chamberlain (4), Alexander-Arnold (3), Sturridge (3), own goals (2), Henderson (1), Klavan (1), Lovren (1), Matip (1), Milner (1), Van Dijk (1), Wijnaldum (1)
West Brom: Rodriguez (6), Rondon (5), Evans (2), Phillips (2), Robson-Kanu (2), Barry (1), Chadli (1), Dawson (1), Field (1), Hegazi (1), McClean (1), Morrison (1), Yacob (1)
* Stats courtesy of LFC statistician Ged Rea.
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