Angelo Ogbonna headed home a late winner to hand West Ham a dramatic 2-1 extra-time victory over Liverpool in an FA Cup fourth-round replay on Tuesday night.
The 30 minutes of extra time has passed when Italian centre back Ogbonna had the Upton Park faithful out of their seats as he buried a powerful header from French midfielder Dimitri Payet, who floated in a perfect chip that saw Ogbonna get the better of Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
West Ham, who have had an excellent season in the Premier League, where they are sixth on the log behind Manchester United, will take on Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup fifth round away at Ewood Park on February 21.
The regulation 90 minutes at Upton Park on Tuesday couldn’t separate the sides as Michail Antonio’s superb finish just before halftime for the Hammers was cancelled out shortly after the break with an audacious free kick by Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho, who threaded the ball brilliantly beneath the jumping West Ham wall to beat goalkeeper Darren Randolph.
Both teams had several chances to settle the outcome, but either hit the woodwork or blasted it wide.
During extra time, Liverpool striker Christian Benteke again wasted a number of scoring opportunities, with the most blatant being when he was put clear on goal by substitute Daniel Sturridge, who was brought on in the second half by manager Jurgen Klopp to add some much-needed pace to Liverpool’s front line.
In a one-on-one situation with Randolph, Benteke fired straight at the West Ham keeper for the worst miss of the night.
English striker Sturridge himself danced through the Hammers defence with some neat footwork and dribbling skills, but was quickly blocked as he got into the penalty area.
Then came Ogbonna’s late show, which saw West Ham manager and former player Slaven Bilic continue his magical ride this season.
The last fourth-round replay takes place on Wednesday night when Peterborough United host West Bromwich Albion, with the winners facing Reading.
The rest of the fifth round sees defending champions Arsenal against Hull City at the Emirates Stadium, while Manchester United will travel to League One side Shrewsbury Town, the lowest-ranked club still in the competition.
Chelsea will host Manchester City at Stamford Bridge, while there’s a London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace at White Hart Lane. The last all-Premier League affair sees Bournemouth take on Everton at home, while Leeds United will travel south to Watford.
The fifth round will take place from February 20-22.
@IndyCapeSport