John Motson has died at the age of 77, the BBC has confirmed.

Over a 50-year career with BBC Sport, Motson provided commentary for a plethora of iconic moments, most notably in football.

Motson covered 10 European Championships and as many World Cups for BBC Sport. He retired in 2018.

He had worked on BBC Sport's flagship Match of the Day programme since 1971 and commentated on close to 2,500 televised matches. 

Tributes to Motson from across British football followed after news of his death was confirmed on Thursday.

Former Leicester City, Everton, Barcelona, Tottenham and England striker Gary Lineker, the host of Match of the Day, tweeted: "Deeply saddened to hear that John Motson has died.

"A quite brilliant commentator and the voice of football in this country for generations. He'll be very much missed. RIP Motty."

Kevin Campbell, who has worked alongside Motson, said: "Rest in Peace John "Motty" Motson an absolute legend and gentleman."

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher posted: "RIP John Motson. An absolute Legend of the game. So many of us grew up listening to this man describe the action and goals on MOTD & cup finals. Sad loss."

"RIP John Motson," tweeted Gary Neville.

Everton, Fulham, Bournemouth and Brentford were among the first Premier League teams to pay tribute to Motson.

Fraser Forster can be a "perfect" replacement for Hugo Lloris during his absence with a knee injury, believes Tottenham assistant Cristian Stellini.

The former France international suffered the blow in his side's win over Manchester City and is facing six to eight weeks on the sidelines.

With manager Antonio Conte returning to work following his recovery from surgery, assistant Stellini will hand back over a squad lacking its first-choice goalkeeper.

But in ex-England shot stopper Forster, the Italian feels his compatriot will have an ideal understudy raring to go between the posts.

"We are all disappointed about Hugo" he said. "But I like Fraser. His behaviour this season has been perfect.

"He trained so hard and in this he also pushed Hugo to train hard.

"We mustn't forget that we have men before we have players and I like Fraser.

"Physically he's perfect for the Premier League and the style we have. He can also use both feet and it will be interesting to see him for the next few weeks."

Lloris has started 27 of Spurs' 31 games this season, while also featuring six times for France in their run to the World Cup final, where they lost to Argentina.

The ex-Lyon keeper, who is now into his 11th season with Tottenham, called time on his international career last month.

He has made four errors leading to a goal in all competitions this season, which is more than any other goalkeeper from clubs across Europe's top five leagues.

Academy players Brandon Austin and Alfie Whiteman are the other two goalkeepers available to Conte.

Spurs have at least nine games to play before the end of March, including a two-legged Champions League last-16 tie with Milan.

Wrexham and their Hollywood owners will not get a blockbuster Premier League tie in this season's FA Cup after falling agonisingly short of the fifth round and a meeting with Tottenham.

The National League side, backed by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, would have faced Spurs had they won a replay against Sheffield United on Tuesday following a 3-3 draw in the original tie.

But Premier League hopefuls United delighted in dumping Wrexham out of the competition after a pair of late goals secured a 3-1 home win at Bramall Lane.

Wrexham had threatened to turn another gripping encounter on its head when Paul Mullin cancelled Anel Ahmedhodzic's opener from the penalty spot and then stepped up to take a second spot-kick, having earned both himself.

Blades goalkeeper Adam Davies brilliantly saved the second penalty, however, and the Championship side settled the tie on the counter-attack in the closing stages as Billy Sharp scored in the 94th minute and Sander Berge added a clincher in the 96th.

Sharp was particularly enthused by his role in eliminating Wrexham, having been frustrated by the underdogs' attitude to facing United, as he explained afterwards.

"It was a great cup tie over the two games," Sharp told ITV Sport. "[Wrexham] played excellent. I think they've been disrespectful, though.

"There were a few things before the game, thinking they were already through. I'm glad we've beat them.

"They're doing well in their league, we're doing well in ours. I wasn't happy with a few of their players tonight, but we've got one over on them. Good luck to them for promotion.

"Hopefully we've put that one to bed now, because a few of their players I wasn't happy with.

"I was a little bit frustrated at the end – I probably should have put the game to bed before I did, but it's one of those things. I wanted to win and wanted to get through to the next round."

Asked to expand on his comments, Sharp added of Wrexham: "I wasn't happy with the way they've been as a club. Before the game, they were eyeing up Spurs and they've not even beaten us.

"We're an honest set of lads and we want to go as far as we can in this competition. If we get beat in the next round, so be it. We'll give it a right go.

"I think they thought we were just going to roll over when they get back in it. I think the referee was helping them all night, as well. I don't think he gave me one foul all night tonight, but it's one of those things.

"I've probably lost my head a little bit, but I've got a smile on my face because we've got through to the next round of the cup and the boys deserve it."

Deadpool star Reynolds wrote on Twitter: "So proud of these boys. And the 4,000 plus away supporters who gave it all."

McElhenney, the creator of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, added: "I could not be more proud of those men than I am right now. They gave it absolutely everything."

The owners would have been concerned by the sight of star striker Mullin hobbling off injured, but McElhenney said in a second post: "Now let’s go win this f***ing league."

Erik ten Hag wants greater protection for players after Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen was injured by an Andy Carroll tackle during their FA Cup fourth round victory on Saturday.

The Denmark international is set to miss the majority of the rest of the season after he was caught by the Reading forward during the Red Devils' 3-1 win at Old Trafford.

Eriksen's lay-off is a major blow for the resurgent United, with the former Tottenham and Inter playmaker a central figure in their revival under Ten Hag.

Speaking ahead of his side's EFL Cup semi-final second leg with Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, the Dutchman was critical of Carroll, but also stressed the need to police such challenges more stringently.

"I'm disappointed about that," he said. "I think football has to set limits [and] restrictions to protect the players, What football wants is the best players being available on the pitch.

"This is a tackle, and the two tackles after, that doesn't belong on the football pitch, because it's a high risk [it will] injure your colleague."

Carroll was dismissed during the Royals' defeat after consecutive yellow cards during the latter stages of the game, with Eriksen subsequently departing Old Trafford on crutches.

Asked if he felt the Reading man was trying to deliberately injure his players, Ten Hag added: "I think I made my view about it. I think it was quite clear what I think, what my thoughts were."

While several of United's Premier League rivals bolstered their January transfer window with high-profile deals, the club took a more low-key approach owing to financial frameworks, though were attempting to add Bayern Munich midfielder Marcel Sabitzer on loan on transfer deadline day.

Ten Hag previously acknowledged he had hoped for greater recruitment, but stressed he understands why United have operated the way they have in the market.

"I think as a manager, you're always trying to find a way to make your team better," he added. "I wouldn't be a good manager, if I didn't make the request.

"If there are opportunities, it is my job in the club to tell the club that there are opportunities to strengthen our squad and our time

"But it's about financial frameworks, [with] what is acceptable, what is reasonable and what we need to fulfil our ambitions. We have to follow it though."

Erik ten Hag wants greater protection for players after Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen was injured by an Andy Carroll tackle during their FA Cup fourth round victory on Saturday.

The Denmark international is set to miss the majority of the rest of the season after he was caught by the Reading forward during the Red Devils' 3-1 win at Old Trafford.

Eriksen's layoff is a major blow for the resurgent United, with the former Tottenham and Inter playmaker a central figure in their revival under Ten Hag.

Speaking ahead of his side's EFL Cup semi-final second leg with Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, the Dutchman was critical of Carroll, but also stressed the need to police such challenges more stringently.

"I'm disappointed about that," he said. "I think football has to set limits [and] restrictions to protect the players, What football wants is the best players being available on the pitch.

"This is a tackle, and the two tackles after, that doesn't belong on the football pitch, because it's a high risk [it will] injure your colleague."

Carroll was dismissed during the Royals' defeat after consecutive yellow cards during the latter stages of the game, with Eriksen subsequently departing Old Trafford on crutches.

Asked if he felt the Reading man was trying to deliberately injure his players, Ten Hag added: "I think I made my view about it. I think it was quite clear what I think, what my thoughts were."

While several of United's Premier League rivals bolstered their January transfer window with high-profile deals, the club took a more low-key approach owing to financial frameworks, though were attempting to add Bayern Munich midfielder Marcel Sabitzer on loan on transfer deadline day.

Ten Hag previously acknowledged he had hoped for greater recruitment, but stressed he understands why United have operated the way they have in the market.

"I think as a manager, you're always trying to find a way to make your team better," he added. "I wouldn't be a good manager, if I didn't make the request.

"If there are opportunities, it is my job in the club to tell the club that there are opportunities to strengthen our squad and our time

"But it's about financial frameworks, [with] what is acceptable, what is reasonable and what we need to fulfil our ambitions. We have to follow it though."

The United Kingdom's leading police council has apologised to survivors and families of those who died in the Hillsborough disaster for their failings 34 years ago.

Ninety-seven Liverpool supporters died in the 1989 stadium crush during an FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest at the home of Sheffield Wednesday.

In 2012, an initial inquest verdict of accidental death was quashed two decades after it was handed down following campaigning by the bereaved families, and a 2016 inquest found victims were unlawfully killed due to gross negligence manslaughter.

Now, five years on from the release of a 2017 report into the disaster by the former Bishop of Liverpool James Jones, the UK's National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) and College of Policing have become the first major bodies to respond to the probe.

"Policing has profoundly failed those bereaved by the Hillsborough disaster over many years and we are sorry that the service got it so wrong," chief constable Andy Marsh, CEO of the College of Policing, said in a statement.

"Police failures were the main cause of the tragedy and have continued to blight the lives of family members ever since.

"When leadership was most needed, the bereaved were often treated insensitively and the response lacked coordination and oversight."

The disaster was originally blamed on the behaviour of fans after those killed were caught in a crush in a lower-tier enclosure at Hillsborough.

Martin Hewitt, the NPCC chair, said he was "deeply sorry for the tragic loss of life", adding: "Collectively, the changes made since the Hillsborough disaster and in response to Rt Reverend James Jones' report aim to ensure the terrible police failures made on the day and in the aftermath can never happen again."

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is not expecting to delve into the transfer market on deadline day despite losing Christian Eriksen to injury for three months.

United confirmed on Tuesday that Eriksen is likely to be out at least until late April after sustaining an ankle injury in the FA Cup win over Reading on Saturday.

He was on the receiving end of a heavy tackle from Andy Carroll, who went unpunished before eventually getting sent off for another two forceful challenges.

Losing Eriksen is a major blow for United given his prominence in his first campaign at Old Trafford, with Bruno Fernandes (2,603) the only outfield player to record more minutes on the pitch than the Dane (2,274) for Ten Hag's men this term.

United will suddenly be without one of their chief creators, as Eriksen's 53 key passes is second only to Fernandes (81), and he leads the way for assists with nine.

But Ten Hag is confident he has the options to cope.

"Of course, [Eriksen] is disappointed about [the injury], we are disappointed about it," the manager told reporters ahead of Wednesday's EFL Cup semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest.

"It happens in top football, you have to deal with it."

He added: "As you said, something coming out on deadline day is difficult and you can't make policy on such bad injuries, but we have players in the midfield department, good players, we also have players who can fill the gap."

With Donny van de Beek out for the season, Eriksen's injury leaves Ten Hag with senior midfield options of Fred, Casemiro, Fernandes and Scott McTominay, while 17-year-old Kobbie Mainoo has made two appearances in cup competitions and been among the substitutes on a handful of occasions in the Premier League.

Zidane Iqbal, a 19-year-old Iraq international, has also been on the bench often this season, though he is yet to make his debut and had reportedly been lined up for a loan move.

Either way, Ten Hag accepts there will have to be a degree of adaptation regardless of who steps up because they will not have the same attributes as the Denmark star.

"I think you can never fill that because every player has their own characteristics and identity, so another player will always fill it in in a different way," he said.

"So, it doesn't mean that you have to be less successful, but it's quite clear that Christian Eriksen, for our squad, brings top quality and he has some specifics that are hard to replace. For instance, his impact in the final third, [with his] final ball."

Brazil midfielder Fred would appear to be the most likely to benefit from Eriksen's absence.

Although the 29-year-old has made only five Premier League starts this term, in total he has played in 17 top-flight games, with Ten Hag seeming to value his energy and tenacity in the second half when others might be tiring.

There is also the added convenience of him regularly playing alongside Casemiro with the Selecao.

"You mentioned already in your first sentence, he's playing together with Casemiro in the Brazilian squad, I would say that's not the worst squad in the world," Ten Hag said with a grin.

"They have so many choices what they can make but they often prefer to play them together. So, that tells something about the quality Fred has and what he can contribute to the team.

"He has done it several times with his performance for instance against Tottenham, for instance against Manchester City.

"When he's coming on [in the] last game [against Reading], he's scoring a goal straight away. He has a lot of qualities. I think they are a really good combination, Casemiro and Fred."

Christian Eriksen will be out of action for up to three months due to the ankle injury he suffered in Saturday's FA Cup win over Reading, Manchester United have confirmed.

Eriksen was on the receiving end of a heavy tackle from Andy Carroll in the second half, with the Reading forward surprisingly avoiding a yellow card.

Carroll was later sent off for another two forceful challenges.

Eriksen walked away from the incident to play on briefly, but he was soon replaced and later spotted leaving Old Trafford on crutches, with a protective boot supporting his left ankle.

United boss Erik ten Hag offered little insight after the match, but following examinations the club believe it is serious enough to potentially rule him out until May.

A statement read: "Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen is expected to be out of action for an extended period because of an ankle injury sustained in our Emirates FA Cup victory over Reading on Saturday.

"While investigations are continuing, initial assessments indicate that Eriksen is likely to be out until late April or early May."

The absence of Eriksen will be a major blow to United and Ten Hag, as the Danish midfielder has been a key component of the side since his arrival on a free transfer in pre-season.

Bruno Fernandes (2,603) is the only outfield player to spend more minutes on the pitch than Eriksen (2,274) across all competitions for United this season.

It is a similar story in terms of chances created, with Eriksen's 53 bettered by only Fernandes' 81, highlighting the Dane's creative importance, particularly from set-pieces.

Eriksen ranks highest in the squad for assists (nine), however, three more than Fernandes.

If the 31-year-old does not play again until the start of May, he will have missed at least 18 matches in all competitions.

That total will increase if United progress in the FA Cup, Europa League and EFL Cup – they are just 90 minutes away from the final of the latter after winning 3-0 away to Nottingham Forest in last week's semi-final first leg.

The return game at Old Trafford on Wednesday will be the first match Eriksen misses.

The absence of Eriksen further stretches United's midfield options after Donny van de Beek was ruled out for the season at the start of January.

It leaves Fernandes, Fred, Casemiro and Scott McTominay as their only recognised senior midfielders, potentially requiring 17-year-old Kobbie Mainoo – who has made two cup appearances but is yet to make his Premier League bow – to step up unless they delve into the transfer market before the window closes on Tuesday.

Tottenham will face a trip to Wrexham in the fifth round of the FA Cup if the Welsh side overcome Sheffield United in a fourth-round replay next week. 

Wrexham, the National League outfit co-owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, were pegged back at the death in a pulsating 3-3 draw with Championship promotion hopefuls United on Sunday.

Hollywood star Reynolds was in attendance at the Racecourse Ground as John Egan's stoppage-time equaliser denied the hosts a famous win, teeing up next Tuesday's replay at Bramall Lane.

Should the fifth-tier outfit cause an upset against the Blades, they will host Spurs in a mouth-watering midweek tie, a fixture which would certainly be viewed as their biggest since Reynolds and McElhenney took charge in 2021.

Elsewhere, Manchester City will face Bristol City for a place in the quarter-finals after overcoming Premier League title rivals Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Friday.

Manchester United's reward for their 3-1 victory over Reading is another home tie against the winners of Monday's meeting between Derby County and West Ham, while Brighton and Hove Albion will go to Stoke City after Kaoru Mitoma's last-gasp strike eliminated holders Liverpool.

The winners of Fulham's replay against Sunderland will host Leeds United, potentially teeing up a rematch of the 1973 final in which the second-tier Black Cats stunned then-holders Leeds with a 1-0 victory at Wembley Stadium.

The ties will be played during the week commencing February 27 and will be decided by extra time and penalties if drawn, with replays no longer taking place after the fourth round.

Liverpool wanted a fresh start in 2023 but Andrew Robertson says the Reds have been "nowhere near good enough" this season and played "worse" since the World Cup.

The Scotland international captained Jurgen Klopp's side at Brighton and Hove Albion as Kauro Mitoma's last-minute strike dumped the FA Cup holders out in the fourth round.

Liverpool had taken the lead through Harvey Elliot before Lewis Dunk's fortuitous first-half equaliser paved the way for Mitoma's deserved late winner in Sunday's 2-1 triumph.

Klopp's men are out of both domestic cups and sit only ninth in the Premier League, having won just eight of their opening 19 top-flight games.

Having lost nine times already in 31 outings across all competitions this campaign, Robertson bemoaned Liverpool's abject performances that have continued after the World Cup break.

"This season has been nowhere near good enough," Robertson told ITV Sport.

"At the start of the year, we wanted a fresh start, but that hasn't happened – we've been worse. In the league, we haven't been good enough and now we're out of both cups."

The Reds' downfall may have appeared somewhat of a surprise after falling narrowly short of an unprecedented quadruple last term.

Liverpool missed out in the Champions League final to Real Madrid and saw Manchester City secure the Premier League title on the last day of the season, though they lifted the FA Cup and EFL Cup.

Sadio Mane's sale to Bayern Munich and Roberto Firmino's diminishing role should be factored in, while Mohamed Salah has failed to hit his usual lofty heights after scoring just nine goals in 19 league games.

Luis Diaz has been out injured after a promising first campaign at Anfield and signings Darwin Nunez and Cody Gapko are still settling in, yet Robertson struggled to explain why Liverpool continue to falter.

The left-back added: "It's really disappointing. You can't put your finger on one thing that's gone wrong. It's more than that. It's about trying to put a performance together where all these things click and that's proving difficult right now.

"You can tell we're not as confident in front of goal, and defensively we're still a wee bit open in certain areas.

"We were on the back of two clean sheets, which was positive, but today, two disappointing goals and they had a couple of big chances as well.

"We need to try and get the confidence back. It's easier said than done but that's the only way we can pick up results. You have to be able to score goals and you have to be able to keep clean sheets.

"We're not managing that just now and we need to do it. We keep saying that and it doesn't help the fans. I feel sorry for them, the way we're putting on a show for them just now.

"We let them down again and we're obviously disappointed to be falling out of the cup."

All it lacked was a Hollywood ending, but Ryan Reynolds described Wrexham's 3-3 draw against Sheffield United in the FA Cup fourth round as "one of the most exciting things I've EVER seen".

Wrexham, the Welsh side who compete in the fifth tier of the English league system, were moments away from toppling a Sheffield United side who are closing in on promotion to the Premier League.

Paul Mullin's 27th goal of the season had put Wrexham 3-2 ahead in the 86th minute, with their visitors to the Racecourse Ground by then down to 10 men after Daniel Jebbison was sent off.

Movie star Reynolds, co-owner of the club who have been the subject of a major documentary series during his two years at the helm, was getting ready to celebrate a huge moment in Wrexham's history.

But Sheffield United had not read the script and rode roughshod over the fairy tale ending when John Egan scored in stoppage time to earn a draw, meaning the teams will go to a replay at Bramall Lane.

Rob McElhenney, the actor, writer and producer who also bought into Wrexham, was not there to witness the high drama first hand, but Deadpool main man Reynolds could be seen holding his phone out to the raucous atmosphere with the It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia star on the other end of the line.

It was a game that was shown live on the BBC, with National League leaders Wrexham showing why they could well be back in the Football League next season.

Reynolds wrote on Twitter: "When @RMcElhenney and I got into this it all felt so impossible. But impossible is @Wrexham_AFC's favourite colour.

"That was one of the most exciting things I've EVER seen. Thank you each and every Wrexham supporter who came out and aimed your heart at that pitch tonight."

Reynolds posted a picture of himself with Premier League record scorer Alan Shearer and Manchester United and Wales legend Mark Hughes, who were working as pundits at the game.

Shearer replied to Reynolds' post, writing: "Thank you for your hospitality today!!! What an incredible atmosphere and game. A living breathing screaming nightmare!!!!"

Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi believes the club are "ready to go forward without" Moises Caicedo following interest from Arsenal.

Caicedo has been strongly linked with a move away from the Amex Stadium all month, but reports of interest intensified this week.

Arsenal were rumoured to have had a bid worth £60million rejected by Brighton, which seemed to prompt Caicedo to publicly declare his desire to leave.

In a statement posted to social media on Friday, the Ecuador international spoke of wanting to make the most of a "magnificent opportunity".

While he did not specifically name Arsenal, the Gunners – who signed Leandro Trossard from the Seagulls in this window – are said to have since upped their offer to roughly £70m.

Brighton have told Caicedo to stay away from the first team while his future is unresolved, hence his absence from Sunday's 2-1 FA Cup win over Liverpool, but De Zerbi is apparently content for a sale to go through.

"Caicedo is a very, very good guy," the told reporters after the game. "I can understand because when you are 21 and you have a request from a big team, they are playing in Europe.

"I would like him to finish the season with us, but we are ready to go forward without him – I think we need some players in some positions.

"I spoke a lot with [Brighton chairman] Tony [Bloom], he knows very well my opinion. We are a good team, but we can improve from the transfer window.

"We lost [Leandro] Trossard and if we also lose Caicedo, it can be a problem for us if we want to fight for Europe."

Caicedo's statement of intent to leave caught fans by surprise, and De Zerbi earlier described it as a "mistake".

But the Brighton coach also sympathised with the 21-year-old, convinced those advising him were behind it rather than Caicedo unilaterally deciding to publish the comments.

"I was surprised, but I can understand where the mistake started," De Zerbi added.

"I don't know if you understand, but Moises is a good guy. I think [he was influenced by someone else]."

Jurgen Klopp ruled out rushing into the transfer market to boost Liverpool's flagging season after the holders suffered FA Cup elimination at Brighton and Hove Albion.

With a deadline for mid-season deals coming up on Tuesday, Klopp declared there would be no new faces arriving at Anfield.

Klopp told beIN Sports: "No, nothing will happen in this transfer window, that's all."

Liverpool's last trophy hope for this campaign lies in the Champions League, where they face Real Madrid at the last-16 stage, having lost to the Spanish giants in last year's final.

The Reds are out of both domestic cups and sit only ninth in the Premier League, having won just eight of their opening 19 games in the competition. Across all competitions, they have already lost nine times in 31 outings this term.

Klopp picked fault in the body language of several of his players in the 2-1 fourth-round loss to the Seagulls, which followed 15 days on from a 3-0 league defeat to the same opposition at the Amex Stadium.

He also wrote off Liverpool's set-piece defending as a major disappointment, with Brighton twice punishing the Reds from such situations.

"That doesn’t feel great, obviously. That's not cool, but we have to take it," Klopp said in his post-match press conference.

He added: "We have still space for improvement. We make steps, but we have to improve, we have to improve further on and that's what we will do."

Klopp felt the performance of his players on Sunday was far better than in their league display against Brighton, but these are small comforts.

Liverpool are in a crisis that is only deepening as their German boss fails to deliver results, despite being backed in the transfer market, with Dutch World Cup star Cody Gakpo arriving this month from PSV.

They face Wolves in the league next weekend, before a derby against Everton and a trip to high-flying Newcastle United precede the Champions League first leg against Madrid.

"If we are in a better situation, 10 points more in the league and stuff like this and then you lose here at Brighton, you just say, 'Respect'. What they do is really good," Klopp said.

"But we are obviously in a situation where we constantly want to make the final step, and that's why it feels now especially bad in this moment because it didn't happen.

"But there were, again, steps in the right direction. You can imagine nobody wants to hear that any more, I cannot hear it any more, but it's still right. That means we have to go from there.

"We have to improve, we have to do better, the body language with a couple of boys has to be much better, defending in the formation has to be better from a few."

Klopp felt Liverpool lacked a little luck, with Lewis Dunk deflecting in Brighton's leveller from Tariq Lamptey's shot before the winner came from Kaoru Mitoma in second-half stoppage time.

"You should not forget that," said Klopp, "but we are still out and that's obviously the worst outcome of a game you can have."

Kaoru Mitoma's stunning stoppage-time winner secured Brighton and Hove Albion a 2-1 win over Liverpool on Sunday to dump the holders out of the FA Cup.

The tie appeared to be heading back to Anfield for a replay with the game finely poised at 1-1, but the in-form Mitoma netted a spectacular late goal to put Brighton into the fifth round.

Liverpool took the lead via Harvey Elliott during an entertaining first half, but Brighton were good value for Lewis Dunk's fortuitous equaliser nine minutes later.

Brighton's continued positivity in the second half looked to set to go unrewarded, but Mitoma's ball juggling and cool finish sparked bedlam at the Amex Stadium as Liverpool's FA Cup defence crumbled.

Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi cast doubt over the club's determination to not sell Moises Caicedo despite labelling the player's transfer plea a "mistake".

Reports earlier this week suggested Arsenal had a £60million bid for the Ecuador international rejected by Brighton.

Caicedo responded by announcing his desire to leave in a post on social media, calling it a "magnificent opportunity" without specifically mentioning Arsenal.

The 21-year-old has since been told to take time away from the club while there is uncertainty surrounding his future, meaning he was unavailable for Sunday's FA Cup clash with Liverpool.

It was ahead of Sunday's game when De Zerbi was asked about the latest on the Caicedo saga, and the Italian could not offer much certainty about him staying beyond the January transfer window.

"Moises is a good guy. We will see what happens [Monday] and the next day," he told ITV.

"We hope he stays with us until the end of the season, but this is a question of the club and Moises.

"In life you can make mistakes.

"There are many solutions for everyone and we will see the best solution for the club, for him and for us."

Arsenal are rumoured to have submitted a second bid worth up to £70m for the talented central midfielder, who joined Brighton in February 2021 for roughly £4.4m from Ecuador's Independiente del Valle.