![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/67\/590x\/secondary\/Liverpool-Pedro-Chirivella-5080720.jpg?r=1700730453445\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Liverpool avoided being dumped out of the EFL Cup in 2019 when they fielded an ineligible player during a 2-0 victory over MK Dons – despite Barnsley being expelled from the FA Cup for a similar offence. The Reds were fined \u00a3200,000 for using midfielder Pedro Chirivella despite the fact that the Spaniard did not have the required international clearance.<\/p>\n
It comes after Barnsley were kicked out of the FA Cup for using a player who was not eligible to feature in their first-round clash with Horsham. The seventh-tier club have since been reinstated and face a second-round match against League Two Sutton.<\/p>\n
However, Liverpool managed to avoid such a brutal penalty in a separate domestic cup competition four years ago. The same rules generally apply across both domestic tournaments, but the EFL concluded that \u2018mitigating factors\u2019 meant that expulsion would have been too harsh.<\/p>\n
Chirivella came off the bench in the 63rd minute of the match. However, he did not have international clearance after returning from a loan spell with Spanish club Extremadura the previous campaign.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: <\/strong> Transfer news LIVE – Man Utd in ‘advanced talks’ as Liverpool risk missing out[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n The EFL accepted that Liverpool had attempted to request the paperwork in July 2019 but the approval cannot be granted without the consent of The Football Association. That is where Liverpool argued a small error had been made.<\/p>\n \u201cFollowing a comprehensive review of all the evidence, the board determined that it wasn\u2019t appropriate to expel the club from the competition because of a number of mitigating factors,\u201d an EFL statement said at the time.<\/p>\n Instead, Liverpool were handed a \u00a3200,000 fine, although half was suspended. In a club statement, the Anfield outfit – who were eventually knocked out in the quarter-finals – apologised to MK Dons for the \u201cmitigating factors\u201d that were \u201cbeyond our control\u201d.<\/p>\n Barnsley have not been quite so lucky. Their 3-0 FA Cup first-round replay victory over Horsham has been overturned after they fielded an ineligible player.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/67\/590x\/secondary\/Pedro-Chirivella-Jurgen-Klopp-5080730.jpg?r=1700730453518\")
<\/p>\n\n