The Football Association will investigate a potential racist incident in Liverpool’s FA Cup win over Everton.
Friday’s third round tie between the sides at Anfield was overshadowed by a clash between Mason Holgate and Roberto Firmino during the first half.
Holgate pushed the Brazilian into advertising hoardings in front of the Main Stand which saw the Reds striker react angrily to the shove.
Replays appeared to show Firmino calling the young Blues defender ‘filha du puto’ – Portuguese for ‘son of a b****’ – in the aftermath of the incident.
Referee Bobby Madley was later seen talking to fourth official Jon Moss about the incident, with the latter writing down details in his notebook.
The entire incident will be recorded in the referee’s official match report, with a probe likely to follow from English football’s governing body.
A Liverpool spokesman said: “The club and player will fully co-operate with the relevant authorities to ensure the facts are established in a thorough manner if deemed necessary or requested.
“While that process is on-going we will not be making any further comment.”
Both Jurgen Klopp and Sam Allardyce declined to comment when asked about the incident in their press conferences following Liverpool’s 2-1 win.
“I heard about something but I can’t say anything so far,” said Klopp.
“I haven’t spoken to anybody. From now on, the club will answer. I don’t really know anything about it.
“I misjudged that situation completely. I thought it was about Holgate’s foul. At the end, there was no foul, no yellow card, nothing. I didn’t get it.
“I didn’t understand the whole situation but I got information after the game that something obviously happened.
“The fourth official said something to me. I never heard the words so I thought they were going to investigate the Holgate foul. That’s how I understood it.
“Then after the game… the fourth official informed me but it wasn’t that I really got it (what was happening).”
“I’m telling you nothing until whatever systems are used to find out what exactly happened and what didn’t happen,” insisted Allardyce.
“I’m here to talk about football, not controversial incidents.
“I want to talk about football because football is my life and anything else that happens outside of that has to be dealt with by the authorities.”