Liverpool have been fined for fielding an ineligible player in the Carabao Cup.
The EFL issued the sanction after Pedro Chirivella failed to receive international clearance to feature in last week’s third round tie against MK Dons.
Chirivella came on as a late substitute in the 2-0 win but was not eligible to play after spending the second half of last season on loan with Extremadura.
Anfield officials insisted the breach was an administrative error and that the midfielder’s registration had been sent to the Football Association in July.
But the EFL have hit Jurgen Klopp’s side with a £200,000 fine with half of that amount suspended until the end of the 2020/21 campaign.
Should the European champions again be found fielding an ineligible player in the competition, the suspended amount will become automatically payable.
Liverpool had been faced with the threat of being expelled from the competition, where they will welcome Arsenal in the fourth round later this month.
An EFL spokesman said: “The rules of the Carabao Cup require clubs to ensure all players are registered and eligible in line with their respective League’s rules before they play.
“The player was always contracted to Liverpool FC during this period, and the reason he was not eligible was because the club did not have the relevant international clearance following expiry of an earlier loan agreement.
“The club’s breach was in part due to the challenges it encountered with securing the correct international clearance, and its subsequent ability to include the player on teamsheets despite the lack of clearance.
“As a result the board concluded the most appropriate sanction was a financial penalty.”