The third round of the FA Cup is nearly complete (Arsenal host Leeds United in the round's final match on Monday, stream live on ESPN+). Here are the top takeaways from this past weekend's action.

Jump to: Jones embodies Liverpool depth | Everton players fail Ancelotti | Mourinho's defensive woes at Spurs | 40-year-old Wilbraham is all of us | Newcastle's frustration nothing new | Idah a Norwich option | Revival for Bournemouth's Wilson | Clarity in transfer plans? | Luckiest moment of weekend | Owls youngster's great interview

- Stream live matches and replays on ESPN+

Should impotent United drop De Gea in favour of Romero?

The stat is perhaps a little harsh given that a) they hit the woodwork and b) Wolves only managed two themselves, but for Manchester United not to muster a single shot on target at Molineux was frankly pretty embarrassing. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said afterwards that a replay following the 0-0 was the last thing anyone needed: he's right, but it almost seems churlish to point out that aiming a few efforts with a little more care would have rendered that problem moot.

There was better news at the other end of the pitch, where Sergio Romero produced a terrific performance to underline his status as probably the best back-up keeper in the Premier League. The question now becomes whether he should merely be a back-up: David de Gea's form has been so patchy this season that it's genuinely worth wondering if Solskjaer should do the previously unthinkable and drop De Gea in favour of his Argentinean deputy.

Jones emphasises the strength of Liverpool

Curtis Jones is one of the names that has been spoken about for a while around Liverpool as one destined for the top, and his sensational strike to settle the Merseyside derby indicates that isn't all just talk. "If nothing strange happens, he'll be a Liverpool player, 100%," said Jurgen Klopp afterwards.

In a small way Jones sums up this Liverpool team, partly because someone so young felt empowered to try an effort so audacious, but it was also striking in his post-match interview that he remarked on being "frustrated" not to get more of a chance in the first-team. You could put that down to confidence bordering on arrogance (the good kind), but just as likely is that youngsters like Jones know there's something exceptional happening at Anfield, and they're desperate to be as much a part of it as they can.

Everton didn't play like adults as Ancelotti needed them to

Conversely, this was an absolutely desperate showing by Everton. Carlo Ancelotti did the right thing by selecting a near-enough first-choice team to face the children of Anfield, but he was -- naively as it turns out -- banking on them playing like adults.

Liverpool's stand-in keeper Adrian received plenty of praise for the number of saves he made, in the first-half particularly, but most of the efforts were straight at him.

Had Everton's forwards directed their shots a little better then we might be talking about a brave but doomed effort from Liverpool's plucky youngsters, but thanks to their anaemic showing, they're out and left hoping for a vague sniff of a Europa League place to salvage something from another dispiriting season.

More defensive problems for Mourinho

Another game without a clean sheet for Jose Mourinho's Tottenham (that's one in 12 now), another game they could do without full-stop after Middlesbrough earned a replay, and another piece of evidence pointing towards the uncomfortable realisation that replacing Mauricio Pochettino with Mourinho might not have been the wisest move.

Tranmere draw shows VAR absurdity

Tranmere make an epic comeback, but highlight the absurdity of VAR in the FA Cup

Tranmere have made something of a habit of comebacks this season: twice in League One they have come back from two goals down to claim draws, and against Burton in September they were 1-0 down as the 90th minute came and went, but won 2-1.

They wouldn't have done so on this occasion without VAR, though, which awarded them the penalty from which they clinched the 3-3 draw with Watford. But, of course, VAR is only used at Premier League grounds in the FA Cup, meaning that if a similar thing happens in the replay at Prenton Park, nothing can be done. It seems inconsistent at best, compromising to the competition in general that VAR can be used at some games, but not others.

Wilbraham provides comfort in a changing world

We'll get to the ongoing caravan of misery that is Newcastle United in a second, but before that let's take a moment for the man who continued that misery, Aaron Wilbraham. The grizzled old stager turned 40 in October, but he had the energy of a young sprite as he slotted home the equaliser for Rochdale on Saturday, earning a 1-1 draw and a replay. Wilbraham made his debut for Stockport in March 1998, meaning that three of his fellow Rochdale players weren't even alive when he first kicked a ball in the professional game.

Wilbraham is a familiar name to anyone who has followed the Football League over the last 20 years, so to see him arrive to top up the pots of Geordie despair was oddly comforting. "The second half went so quickly," said Willbraham, who came off the bench and apparently thought he should have started. "I could've played for another hour."

A microcosm of Newcastle's season

If the game had gone on for a further hour, logically you would think that Newcastle would have made their theoretical superiority count, but they couldn't manage a second after goal machine Miguel Almiron's opener in 90 minutes, so who's to say another 60 would have been any use? Perhaps we should have seen this coming: Newcastle only have 20 goals to their name in the Premier League this season, a total bettered by bottom of the table Norwich.

Afterwards Steve Bruce, a man who does 'looking beleaguered' like no other manager, admitted that they're already finding it tough to bring in reinforcements, but reinforcements they need desperately. Joelinton has proved a £40million error for a club that can't afford to make £40 million errors, Andy Carroll is held together by bits of tape and string at the best of times, Yoshinori Muto has a single Newcastle strike to his name: indeed, not one but three defenders have scored more goals than all of Newcastle's supposed forwards this season.

This was Newcastle's season in microcosm, a frustrating, impotent performance that exposed the inadequacies of the players and coaches involved, but at the same time made you howl with frustration that they've been allowed to reach this point by an ownership that continues to make things worse and impede progress. It's a mess, and it's tough to see it being anything else, anytime soon.

Idah an option for Farke

Speaking of Norwich and their lack of goals, this weekend has at the very least shown they have one potential solution to that problem already in their midst: Adam Idah might not be 100% ready for the rigours of the Premier League just yet, but at the very least his hat-trick showed he is a live option for the second half of the season. And Daniel Farke will know that they need all the help they can get.

Could this be the start of Wilson's revival?

For a short, cruel while, it looked as if Dominic Solanke's dreams would be crushed and his year-long hunt for a goal would trudge on, as what he thought was a goal in the first-half was chalked off by the big, unforgiving VAR machine. He smuggled one home later, his first since the £20 million move from Liverpool last January, and the inevitable question will be whether this is the start of something bigger for the striker.

Maybe, maybe not, but the ending of another dry spell might be more valuable for Eddie Howe: Callum Wilson hadn't scored since September before he notched against Luton, and if they are to dig themselves out of the mess they have found themselves in the Premier League, they need Wilson firing.

Will this weekend provide some clarity in transfer plans

While the FA Cup is, in the eyes of traditionalists at least, too august an institution to be treated merely as a test ground for the Premier League, the games over this weekend may have helped clarify a few transfer plans for the month. Leicester, for example, might need to step up their hunt for a new centre-back after injuries to their existing back-ups Wes Morgan and Filip Benkovic, while Liverpool may at least consider some full-back cover, depending on the severity of James Milner's injury.

One team it did emphasise needed a little more quality in their ranks was Aston Villa, knocked out by Championship side Fulham. Villa weren't exactly going great guns anyway, but season-ending injuries to Tom Heaton and Wesley Moraes further punches a hole in their resources. It may seem absurd after a summer in which they recruited 12 players, but Saturday showed that the reserves Villa currently have won't be enough to keep them in the Premier League.

Luckiest moment of the weekend

Blackpool striker Armand Gnanduillet has good cause to be confident: he's got 12 league goals this season in a pretty moderate side, and had already bagged once when he was brought down for a penalty against Reading. But perhaps he should have wound that confidence in a bit when deciding on a method for that penalty, because the 'Panenka' that floated onto the crossbar and out could easily have cost his side a place in the fourth round draw: luckily for him they held on and will try again in a couple of weeks, much to Gnanduillet's relief.

This is what football can do

You'll probably have seen the clip of Sheffield Wednesday youngster Osaze Urhoghide beaming his way through a post-match interview after making his senior debut for the club against Brighton, but treat yourself to another watch. We need these reminders every now and then that football can be such a force for good in people's lives, and while many players will have just wanted to get this weekend out of the way, for one young man at least it will be one he'll never forget.

PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz exited in the first quarter of Sunday's 17-9 wild-card loss against the Seattle Seahawks with a head injury and did not return.

He was initially ruled questionable but early in the third quarter the Eagles said he was out.

Wentz was replaced in the lineup by veteran Josh McCown, who appeared in his first postseason game of his 17-season career. He is the first player in NFL history to make his postseason debut at 40 years old, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

"I'm disappointed for [Wentz], because I wanted this for him, obviously," Eagles coach Doug Pederson said after the loss. "And I think a lot of his teammates did too; and the team, the organization did. He's battled through a lot. But we'll learn from it; we'll move on."

McCown retired after last season but decided to come out of retirement when the Eagles came calling in August.

Wentz was hit in the helmet and upper back by defensive end Jadeveon Clowney on the Eagles' second possession of the game. The force of Clowney's hit drove Wentz into the ground. He appeared to buckle slightly as he rose to his feet but stayed in the game for another series.

"I was just rushing the passer. It was a bang-bang play. I didn't intentionally try to hurt nobody. I just play this game with a lot of enthusiasm and effort," Clowney told ESPN's Josina Anderson after the game. "It was just a bang-bang play. I hope he's OK and that everything will be OK with him."

Wentz played the entire regular season for the first time since his rookie year, having suffered major injuries at the end of both the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Nick Foles led the Eagles to the Super Bowl title in February 2018. This was Wentz's first playoff game.

Defensive end Brandon Graham injured his knee in the first half and was questionable to return, but he came back in the third quarter.

FRISCO, Texas -- The awkward ending of Jason Garrett's tenure is official, seven days after the Dallas Cowboys' season concluded, with the team announcing Sunday it would not seek a new agreement on a contract extension.

"We are extremely grateful to Jason Garrett for his more than 20 years of service to the Dallas Cowboys as a player, assistant coach and head coach," Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said in a statement. "His level of commitment, character and dedication to this organization has been outstanding at every stage of his career. ... His tenure of leadership will be characterized by his ability to produce teams that always played with great effort, emotion and passion, and he represented our organization with great pride, loyalty and respect."

The announcement ends a confusing weekend that saw the Cowboys interview Marvin Lewis and Mike McCarthy, even though Garrett was still technically employed. Garrett's contract was set to expire Jan. 14.

Garrett posted an 85-67 record as Cowboys coach, making the playoffs three times but winning just two playoff games and failing to make it out of the divisional round in 2016 as the top seed in the NFC. The Cowboys finished with an 8-8 mark in 2019, the fourth time in Garrett's tenure they finished with a .500 record.

"Jason Garrett's legacy with the Dallas Cowboys will always be that of someone who strived for greatness every day that he walked through the door, and as someone who instilled the virtues of enthusiasm, hard work and appreciation for the profession in all of the men who played with him and for him," Jones said. "He is, and always will remain, a cherished member of the Dallas Cowboys family, and his contributions to the organization are greatly appreciated."

During the season, Jones said he believed Garrett would coach in the NFL in 2020, but he never said where. With openings in Carolina, Cleveland and the New York Giants, it will be interesting to see whether Garrett receives any interviews. He played for the Giants from 2000 to '03 and grew up in Cleveland.

Lewis had a 16-year run with the Cincinnati Bengals and helped make a moribund franchise at least respectable, although he failed to win a playoff game in seven appearances. Lewis has a connection to the Jones family, having served on the NFL's competition committee with Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones.

McCarthy won a Super Bowl at AT&T Stadium with the Packers. He ended the Cowboys' season twice in the playoffs in the most painful of ways in 2014 and 2016. His career record of 125-77-2 is impressive, and his Green Bay teams made the playoffs in nine of his 13 seasons.

After Bill Parcells opted to retire following the 2006 season, the Cowboys' search for his replacement took about three weeks before they settled on Wade Phillips.

In addition to Phillips and Garrett, the Joneses interviewed Todd Bowles, Tony Sparano, Todd Haley, Ron Rivera, Norv Turner, Mike Singletary and Jim Caldwell.

Lewis and McCarthy might just be the start to the 2020 search.

Playoff team coordinators such as Eric Bieniemy (Kansas City) and Greg Roman (Baltimore) would figure to be on Jerry Jones' list, but he could have interviewed both this week while they had the wild-card weekend off.

While a source said the Cowboys are not yet ready to focus on college coaches, the team has been linked to the likes of Lincoln Riley, Urban Meyer, Dan Mullen and Matt Rhule. Late in the season, Jones noted on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas that college coaches have the worst success rate in the NFL.

It should be pointed out that Jones' Super Bowl wins came with former college coaches Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer.

NEW ORLEANS -- For the second straight year, the New Orleans Saints' season ended with a question about whether a pass interference flag should have been thrown.

Officials decided both on the field and after reviewing the replay that there was not enough contact to charge Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph with offensive pass interference after there appeared to be some hand-fighting with cornerback P.J. Williams on his game-winning 4-yard touchdown catch in overtime of the Vikings' 26-20 victory.

"There is contact by both players, but none of that contact rises to the level of a foul," said the NFL's senior vice president of officiating, Al Riveron, who briefly reviewed the play from the league's command center in New York. "This is consistent with what we've done all year long -- we left the ruling on the field. We let it stand."

The replay review process was completed so quickly that some Saints players didn't realize it had been reviewed.

When asked by a designated pool reporter if the decision was "obviously clear enough" for the replay process to be completed so quickly, Riveron said, "Yes, Fox was great. They gave us every angle that they had pertaining to the play. So we're very comfortable with what we saw. Nothing came through afterward that we had not seen prior to making the ruling."

This play wasn't nearly as controversial as last season's no-call in the NFC Championship Game -- which helped the Los Angeles Rams come back to beat the Saints in overtime.

That play was so controversial that it actually led to the groundbreaking replay rule changes that allowed Sunday's play to be reviewed in the first place.

Saints coach Sean Payton didn't have any complaints about Sunday's call.

When asked if he got an explanation from the officials, Payton said: "Listen, that wasn't ... really, I didn't see any officials [after the game]. I saw Mike [Zimmer], we chatted for a little bit. And saw some of the [Vikings] players we coached in the Pro Bowl and congratulated them. They did a good job, they played well."

Payton suggested multiple times that the Vikings "deserved to win."

Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan was among those who took issue with Sunday's no-call.

"It doesn't matter. We're clearly not going to get a second ruling. The [referees] ran off, so basically they said it was a touchdown and didn't even review it," Jordan said. "Aren't all touchdowns reviewed, especially in overtime? That's something that I'm sure the league will come out with something in the postgame. Or maybe they won't."

Jordan later told NOLA.com, "Even up to the last second, we figured the ref was going to come in and be a ref. It's a joke."

Rudolph said he didn't expect to see a flag after he came down with the ball.

"Not at all," Rudolph said. "[Quarterback Kirk Cousins] gave it up, threw the ball up in the air, gave me a chance to go get it, and my basketball instincts took over."

NEW ORLEANS -- Redemption came tumbling out of the sky, a perfect rainbow ticketed for his outstretched hands, and all Adam Thielen had to do was catch it.

It was overtime Sunday in the Superdome. The Minnesota Vikings had squandered a 10-point fourth-quarter lead but won the coin toss, and they needed a touchdown to end the New Orleans Saints' season without Drew Brees getting to take another snap. In the huddle, Kirk Cousins called a far cross, and Thielen lined up wide to the right.

By this point, the first quarter was a distant memory, and for Thielen that was a good thing. He'd started the game miserably, fumbling away the ball on the Vikings' first drive and setting the Saints up for an early 3-0 lead. When he got back to the sideline, he made a motion with his hand that simulated flushing a toilet.

"Just flush that play away," Thielen said. "It's actually something from college, our coaches used to make us do -- flush the bad play. We actually had a little mini toilet on the sideline and we'd have to go over and flush it. So that's where that came from."

The techniques of the Minnesota State-Mankato coaching staff having aided his mental recovery, Thielen was in pretty good psychological shape by the time the Vikings broke the huddle in overtime. He'd caught six passes for 86 yards and helped the Vikings build a 20-10 lead of which they needed every bit just to get to this point. So when Cousins called the play, he bounced out to his position wide to the right.

"That play, it's something we haven't tried in a long time," Thielen said. "We've been practicing it, but I never thought we'd use it there."

The name of the play? Sorry, dear reader, but that's a place where this reporter came up short in his reporting.

"I don't think I can tell you that, Dan," Cousins said in the locker room when I innocently asked what the play was called. "I believe that's classified information."

Added Thielen: "It's a long playcall, so I don't remember the whole thing. I just know what I had on that play."

Fair enough. Lined up across from Thielen was Saints cornerback Patrick Robinson, in the game in place of an injured Marshon Lattimore, who'd been shadowing Thielen for much of the game. This did not escape the attention of the Vikings. There was a single safety playing the post -- Marcus Williams, of all people, Ghost of Vikings-Saints Playoff Game Past -- and on the left side, Stefon Diggs was lined up against Janoris Jenkins. Two safeties -- Vonn Bell and C.J. Gardner-Johnson -- were in the box. Cousins, under center, called for the snap.

"All I know is, I had a one-on-one," said Vikings right tackle Brian O'Neill, whose terrifyingly difficult assignment on the play was to block Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan. "I was just trying to hold on for dear life."

As Cousins dropped back, O'Neill managed to keep Jordan just far enough wide. Gardner-Johnson blitzed. Bell hung briefly with tight end Kyle Rudolph, then passed him off to a linebacker and went in after Cousins. Williams moved to his right to help on Diggs, and that's when Cousins saw what was going on deep down the right sideline.

"Man coverage," Cousins said. "And Adam won."

Thielen was the first read on the play, and the Vikings liked the matchup with Robinson. Thielen got past Robinson by just a sliver, but once Cousins saw Williams paying attention to Diggs' side, he knew what he had to do.

Entering the game, Cousins was 0-10 as a Viking against teams that finished the season with 10 or more wins. He was 3-11-1 as a Viking against opponents that entered the game with a winning record. And in his career, he was 0-15 against teams that finished their season with a .700 or better winning percentage -- the most such losses without a win by any quarterback in NFL history. One throw to beat the 13-3 Saints in a playoff game in their building. One throw to wipe away doubt that even, at one point this season, appeared to creep into his own locker room.

Further back in the Vikings' memory banks than Thielen's first-quarter fumble lived a play just like this one -- a play from an ugly 16-6 loss in Chicago in Week 4. You might (or might not) remember that game as something of a low point for Cousins, as after it Thielen criticized him for missing too many big throws. "You have to be able to hit the deep balls," Thielen said after that game, ostensibly referring to a play on which Thielen beat his man deep and had a touchdown if Cousins had made the throw, which he did not.

Kirk Cousins-Adam Thielen on play action for 43 yards to set up a @Vikings game-winning TD.

Thielen was targeted on 30% of routes today (9 targets, 7 receptions, 129 yards), after being targeted on 13% of routes since his return from injury in Week 15.#MINvsNO | #Skol pic.twitter.com/SBdRPnZO4K

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 5, 2020

Fourteen weeks, eight wins and four losses later, offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski sent in the exact same play -- the "You have to be able to hit the deep balls" play -- to try to win a playoff game in overtime in New Orleans.

"Protection held up," Cousins said. "That's a route I've run since my rookie year. Sometimes you hit it, and sometimes you don't."

He hit it.

Thielen, who had his first 100-yard receiving game since early October, made the 43-yard catch at the New Orleans 2-yard line, and three plays later Cousins found Rudolph in the back left corner of the end zone for the touchdown that sent the Vikings on to the next round of the playoffs with a 26-20 victory.

"Just go make a play," Thielen said when asked what he was thinking coming out of the huddle. "When you get the right coverage and you get man coverage, it's mano-a-mano. And when you have a quarterback that trusts you and gives you a chance, it's obviously special to have a guy like that back there."

When it was over, the Vikings were already turning their attention to Saturday's divisional-round matchup in San Francisco. In the locker room, coach Mike Zimmer complimented the team on a great win but reminded his players of two years ago, when they beat the Saints in a playoff game on Diggs' last-minute miracle play and then showed up in Philadelphia a week later and laid an egg in the NFC Championship Game. Then he gave the game ball to Cousins, who bellowed his trademark, "You like that?!" and sent the locker room into a frenzy.

"I'm thrilled we won a playoff game, and I just did my part," Cousins said. "There's a whole lot of reasons we won the game. Does the quarterback play a role in that? Yes, but it was a team win."

A team win, sure, but one that came down to a quarterback swatting away the Saints and his doubters with one perfect throw at the perfect time.

Worcester Warriors' New Zealand forward Michael Fatialofa is to spend a second night in hospital following concerns over the neck injury he suffered in Saturday's heavy defeat at Saracens.

Play was held up for 15 minutes as Fatialofa was treated and taken off on a stretcher, after a collision a minute after coming on as a replacement.

He was then taken to St Mary's Hospital at Paddington, in West London.

He was kept in hospital on Sunday night for further examination.

Warriors director of rugby Alan Solomons said in his post-match press conference: "It seemed like he dropped his head as he went into contact.

"I haven't studied the footage but it seems like he's taken a blow to the neck.

"For me, a neck injury like that is a massive concern and I am worried about it, but the medics have taken all precautions and have done everything possible."

Warriors said on their website: "We will provide a further update on Michael's condition when we have one.

"On behalf of Michael we would like to thank all those who have passed on messages of support and concern."

Fatialofa is in his second season at Sixways following his arrival from New Zealand Super Rugby side Hurricanes.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – All but one Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo entry in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Daytona division have been disqualified following Saturday’s Roar Before the 24 garage qualifying session.

The Lamborghini entries fielded by GRT Grasser Racing, GEAR Racing powered by GRT Grasser, Magnus GRT and PPM were all stripped of their qualifying times for now running IMSA’s mandated Daytona-specific gears.

The cars qualified as high as fourth (PPM) and as low as 16th (Magnus). The No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3 driven by Frankie Montecalvo and fielded by AIM Vasser Sullivan was fastest in class.

In addition, the No. 38 Performance Tech Motorsports Oreca 07 Gibson was stripped of its time in LMP2 because the wrong driver qualified the car.

The disqualifications do not affect the Rolex 24. Saturday’s qualifying session was only for garage and pit lane selection.

AL WAJH, Saudi Arabia – Vaidotas Zala shocked onlookers by claiming the opening stage of the Dakar Rally on Sunday in Saudi Arabia.

This is the first year the event has been held in Saudi Arabia after most recently taking place in South America for the last 11 runnings. Sunday’s opening stage was 319 kilometers in length.

Zala, from Lithuania, drove his four-wheel-drive Mini to the stage victory by a little more than two minutes over multi-time Dakar Rally champion Stephane Peterhansel, who was also driving a Mini. Carlos Sainz, the 2018 Dakar champion, was third in class in another Mini.

Two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso, making his Dakar Rally debut, finished the stage 11th in the car class.

In the bike division, defending champion Toby Price got off to a strong start by claiming the stage win. He took over the top spot in the division from American Ricky Brabec around 100 kilometers into the stage and led the remainder of the distance, finishing just more than two minutes ahead of Brabec.

In the SxS class, Aron Domzala drove his Can-Am to victory over fellow Can-Am racer and American Casey Currie. The Truck division was won by Anton Shibalov, who overtook fellow Kamaz competitor Andrey Karginov in the final 100 kilometers. Ignacio Casale controlled the the quad class, winning the stage by more than five minutes.

Brescia striker Mario Balotelli told Lazio supporters they should be ashamed of themselves after saying he had been subjected to racist abuse during a Serie A match between the two sides on Sunday.

The match was halted for a few minutes shortly after the half-hour mark and an announcement was made on the stadium's tannoy system, while Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi wildly gesticulated to the visiting fans to stop.

Brescia confirmed to ESPN that Balotelli asked the referee to stop the match due to racist chanting.

Balotelli opened the scoring in the 18th minute but Brescia suffered a 2-1 defeat with Ciro Immobile scoring both goals.

The Italy international posted a video of his goal on Instagram after the match and wrote: "Lazio fans that were today at the stadium shame on you!"

Balotelli was also racially abused and threatened to walk off the pitch in a Serie A game against Hellas Verona last November.

There have been a number of incidents involving racist abuse in Italian football this season with Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku, AC Milan's Franck Kessie, and Fiorentina's Dalbert Henrique targeted from the stands but no sanctions have been handed out by the Italian league, federation or police.

Curtis Jones' wonder strike saw a much-changed Liverpool side beat Everton 1-0 at Anfield in the third round of the FA Cup.

The 18-year-old academy graduate and local lad, who scored the winning penalty when Liverpool knocked Arsenal out of the Carabao Cup earlier in the season, shot right-footed from the edge of the box and beyond the outstretched Jordan Pickford into the top corner to seal the hosts' place in the fourth round.

Jones was one of nine changes the Premier League leaders made with new signing Takumi Minamino making his debut, while counterpart Carlo Ancelotti opted for a largely full-strength Everton line-up.

Others to start included youngsters Nathaniel Phillips, Jordan Williams, Pedro Chirivella, Harvey Elliott and there was another change after nine minutes when James Milner limped off injured and was replaced by Yasser Larouci.

"I just go out there and try and play my game," Jones told BBC Sport postmatch. "It's been frustrating at times being on the bench and then getting a taste on the pitch and then being back on the bench.

"I've been basically begging to come on but hopefully I've topped it off with a good goal. I can't sum up my emotions. For me it's huge just being around this team every day and learning from this group of players. There are world-class players all over this team but I think I went out and showed what I could do on the pitch."

Liverpool looked more impressive in the first half, with Adam Lallana, who took the captain's armband following Milner's exit, particularly impressive, but it was Everton who created the better with Richarlison, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Mason Holgate guilty of wasting the best chances.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made his return from injury in the second half, replacing Minamino on 70 minutes and soon after Jones delivered the decisive moment with a superb curling effort into the top corner, leaving Everton without a win against their rivals since October, 2010.

"The ball came to me and I only had one thing in mind -- to shoot," Jones added. "Luckily enough it led to the matchwinner and a great goal.

"It's massive for me and the rest of the young boys. At times it's frustrating thinking you might get a chance but then having to sit on the bench and watch. We proved that we're learning every day and trying to push for a place in the team."

Rhian Brewster came on for Elliott as Liverpool changed things around but Everton, rocked by the goal, could not find a response.

Information from Reuters was used in this report.