FA Cup: Liverpool 2 West Brom 3 - Report and pictures

But that will be unfair on an Albion side who stunned their hosts Liverpool at Anfield to progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup with a performance of hunger and desire.

Jay Rodriguez's brilliant first-half double in four minutes does not deserve to be lost in the debates over video assistants, nor does Grzegorz Krychowiak's performance in midfield.

The whole team's insatiable desire in a competition that is not necessarily a priority will be eaten up by column inches on new-fangled technology.

Because this was a game like no other, and a first-half that was at some points farcical, but dramatic throughout, will live long in the memory, but not for necessarily the right reasons.

Liverpool took an early lead through Roberto Firmino's gorgeous chip before Rodriguez's double put the Baggies 2-1 up after 11 minutes.

Albion went 3-1 up on the stroke of half-time through a Joel Matip own goal before holding out for victory late on following Mohamed Salah's 78th minute strike.

But that doesn't tell the whole story of an eventful night punctured with stoppages and confused looks on and off the pitch from everybody involved.

Albion had the ball in Liverpool's net five times, Firmino missed a penalty, and referee Craig Pawson visited VAR more often than this writer can remember.

Baggies boss Alan Pardew made three changes to the side that drew with Everton down the road seven days ago, bringing Allan Nyom, Hal Robson-Kanu, and Jake Livermore in for Ahmed Hegazi, Matt Phillips and Salomon Rondon.

Livermore started wide right and Pardew had a look at Craig Dawson in his preferred position of centre-back.

There was strength on the bench, which would prove useful, but Jurgen Klopp realised this competition offered his best chance of silverware this season, and named a strong side full of all his big-hitters.

They made an immediate impact, capitalising on two Albion mistakes five minutes in to give Liverpool the lead.

Firstly, Chris Brunt's backpass found neither Ben Foster nor Jonny Evans, but when the Baggies skipper dawdled on the ball, Mohamed Salah pounced, stealing in getting his shot away.

Ben Foster saved it, but the ball bounced to Firmino on the edge of the area, who chipped a delightful first-time shot over the Albion keeper and in off the far post.

That goal was supposed to settle the hosts' nerves, but all it did was ignite an incredible and breathless first half of football that was dramatic at times, and downright farcical at others.

Two minutes later Albion were level thanks to a rocket from Rodriguez. Brunt immediately atoned for his earlier error, stealing the ball and setting up the striker on the edge of the area, but there was still plenty for Rodriguez to do.

The summer signing is enjoying his best run of form in Albion blue and white though, and he laced an unstoppable effort into Mignolet's corner to draw the teams level.

Before anyone could catch their breath, Rodriguez had scored again. After some brilliant work in the middle of the park, Grzegorz Krychowiak found Kieran Gibbs on the left hand side and his low cross picked out the striker's run in the box.

Rodriguez gleefully swept it home for his second goal in four minutes and his fifth in his last six games. The former Southampton man is starting to show the sort of form that earned him praise on the south coast before his injury.

Those two goals from open play were of supreme quality, but 20 minutes in, it looked like Albion had added a third from a more traditional route.

Brunt's high looping corner was aching to be claimed by Mignolet, but the keeper never came, and so Dawson leapt over Firmino and crashed a header past the Belgian.

Albion and their fans went off celebrating, but then referee Craig Pawson stopped them in their tracks, and decided to turn to the man in a van.

He decided the goal should be chalked off because Gareth Barry was offside when Dawson headed the ball and was in Mignolet's line of sight and so interfering with play.

In the 27th minute, VAR came to Liverpool's aid again, but this time, at the other end of the pitch.

Pawson stopped play once more after what looked like an innocuous overhit cross into the Baggies box, but when replays showed Jake Livermore had tugged Salah's arm, the referee decided to trot over to the touchline and have a look for himself.

Play was stopped for some time while everyone in the stadium wondered what on earth was going on, but eventually Pawson pointed to the spot.

It was a soft one, but thankfully for Albion, Firmino crashed his shot off the underside of the crossbar and the Baggies cleared their lines and kept their lead.

In amongst the chaos, Kieran Gibbs and Hal Robson-Kanu were forced off with injuries, before the Baggies finally extended their lead to 3-1 deep in first-half injury time.

There was nothing wrong with the goal, which came about from a Krychowiak pitching wedge over the Liverpool defence to Dawson, and a cross that Joel Matip inadvertently turned into his own net.

But even this goal had to be referred to VAR for some reason, robbing Albion and their fans of a much-deserved celebration.

Eventually the goal was given, and Evans cheered ironically, just as he would have done in the immediate aftermath of a goal to make a point, while everyone else just looked tired by the whole sorry saga.

The second half, however, started in a similar vein, with Albion putting the ball in Liverpool's net and Pawson going to VAR.

Less than five minutes into the second period, Dawson rose higher than Mignolet and headed Brunt's mistimed shot in.

Albion's right-back was miles offside, and the flag was raised, but Pawson still checked with his video assistants.

The Baggies would have been forgiven for sitting back and protecting their two-goal lead, but they scented blood and started the second half just as hungry as they ended the first.

Rodriguez and Phillips were snapping at heels while Krychowiak and Barry were driving the team forward.

The Polish midfielder was having another fine game in the engine room, but he wasn't the only one in blue and white stepping up, epitomised by his audacious one-two with Brunt in the middle of the park that included a sit-down bicycle kick from the Northern Irishman that set Phillips away.

The winger, who was pushed up front to break on the counter, burst into the Liverpool box and found the side netting with his shot under pressure.

But the red onslaught was always destined to come, and the home side threw everything at the Baggies for the final 20 minutes.

Foster was in fine fettle though, and he pushed away a James Milner drive with strong hands before pulling off a brilliant double save, even if the second one that he kicked away with his feet was offside.

But Salah has found a knack of finding the net this season, and 12 minutes from time he pulled one back, rolling the ball into the far corner after a cross had bounced off Firmino's legs.

That set the game up for a grandstand finish, and actually enticed the Baggies out of their shell momentarily.

But Liverpool quickly forced them back onto the edge of their box again before launching one late salvo.

Albion were equal to it and when Foster fell on a Virgil Van Dijk header in injury time, that was that.

It's 50 years since Albion last lifted the FA Cup, and back in 1968 they beat Liverpool en route to the final.

It would be foolish to believe that was an omen, but the Baggies deserve immense praise for their performance.

The last visiting team to score three first-half goals at Anfield was Real Madrid, in 2014, and that's now one defeat in the last seven for Pardew's men.

That bodes well for the league, but that is a conversation for another day. The most important thing tonight is that, half a century after the class of 68 lifted the trophy, Albion are still in the FA Cup.

Key moments

05 GOAL LIVERPOOL - Brunt's poor backpass finds neither Foster nor Evans, and the centre-back dawdles, allowing Salah to take a shot that Ben Foster saves. But the ball bounces to Firmino who chips a delightful lob over the Albion keeper.

07 GOAL ALBION - Baggies strike back immediately after Brunt steals the ball and lays it off to Rodriguez on the edge of the area and the Albion striker rockets an unstoppable shot into the top corner.

11 GOAL ALBION - Brilliant work from Krychowiak in the middle of the park before he finds Gibbs on the left. His low cross is gobbled up by Rodriguez, who bags his second goal in four minutes.

20 Dawson crashes home a header from a Brunt corner after leaping higher than Firmino but the goal is eventually ruled out for offside after referee Craig Pawson went to VAR because Barry was in Mignolet's line of sight.

27 VAR comes to Liverpool's aid again when Pawson decides Livermore tugged Salah back off the ball and awards a penalty. But Firmino crashes his shot against the cross bar and Albion clear their lines.

47 GOAL ALBION - Deep into first-half injury time, Krychowiak lifts the ball into Dawson, whose cross is turned into his own net by Matip.

49 Albion have the ball in the net for a fifth time when Dawson climbs above Mignolet, and Pawson goes to VAR again, even though he was miles offside and was correctly given as so.

78 GOAL LIVERPOOL - Salah rolls the ball into the far post after it bounces off Firmino.

Man of the match

Jay Rodriguez - Two brilliant goals in four minutes.

Teams

Liverpool (4-3-3): Mignolet; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Moreno; Can, Wijnaldum, Oxlade-Chamberlain (Ings 65); Mane (Henderson 65), Firmino, Salah. Unused subs: Ward, Lovren, Gomez, Milner, Solanke.

Albion (4-4-2): Foster; Nyom, Evans, Dawson, Gibbs (Hegazi 37); Livermore, Barry (Yacob 70), Krychowiak, Brunt; Robson-Kanu (Phillips 38), Rodriguez. Unused subs: Myhill, McClean, Burke, Rondon.

Referee: Craig Pawson

Attendance: 53,342