Well, what an enjoyable cup tie that was. AFC Wimbledon gave it everything and can be hugely proud of their gargantuan efforts tonight. They gave Liverpool quite the scare and they really did go close to nicking something. It wasn’t to be, though, because Liverpool had Steven Gerrard. Another rescue act from their captain means that they will host Emile Heskey’s Bolton Wanderers in the fourth round. What are they going to do without him? Thanks for reading. Night.

90 min+2: Mignolet makes a crucial save to deny Azeez an equaliser! But Liverpool can’t defend high balls into their box. Akinfenwa and Barret both caused havoc and the ball reached Azeez six yards from goal, only for Mignolet to throw himself in his way and deflect it wide with what was essentially a sliding challenge! From there, Liverpool break from the corner and Shea makes a good save to deny Balotelli and Kennedy clears Gerrard’s follow-up off the line!

90 min: Enrique cuts the ball back to Gerrard, who feints to shoot and instead disguises a pass to Balotelli, who has an open goal - until Kennedy steams in with a brilliant last-ditch tackle to deny him at the expense of a corner! There will be three minutes of stoppage time.

89 min: Jose Enrique wins a corner for Liverpool on the left. Nothing comes from it.

86 min: Kolo Toure replaces Lazar Markovic for Liverpool; Sutherland and Pell come on for Moore and Francomb for Wimbledon. Have the side from League Two got anything left in the tank?

85 min: Liverpool break from the corner and should wrap it up. Wimbledon are completely exposed as Coutinho scoots clear and finds Markovic on the edge of the area. He has an age to decide what he wants to do. He shoots straight at Shea.

84 min: Here come Wimbledon! A deep free-kick is pumped into the area and when Liverpool again make a meal of clearing it, Azeez’s thumping volley, quite possible heading into the top corner, is deflected wide for a corner!

82 min: Gerrard lines up a piledriver from 25 yards. Shea does well to hold it.

81 min: A cross from Balotelli falls to Gerrard in the area. He backheels it to Coutinho, whose low shot is saved, just, by Shea.

79 min: Markovic slams a cross into the area from the right. Henderson’s firm shot is blocked. Once the ball is out of play, Mario Balotelli replaces Rickie Lambert, while Adebayo Azeez comes on for the excellent Sean Rigg.

77 min: Coutinho picks up Liverpool’s first booking of the evening for a foul on Goodman. Skrtel heads the resulting free-kick away.

76 min: Jose Enrique shanks a cross out of play. Steven Gerrard has been the difference. Otherwise, Liverpool have looked average.

75 min: It’s hard to see how Wimbledon are going to get back into this. They appear to have run out of steam. “In the absence of having any FA Cup ties to show, Sky seem to be covering a match from my local junior league,” says Simon McMahon. “That or the SPL, it’s one of the two.”

73 min: A controversial opinion: as funny as the slip was, Steven Gerrard really is a class act. I reckon it would be quite fun to have had his career.

72 min: “We’re going to miss him, aren’t we?” says Phil Sawyer. “Despite the masses of words to and fro about his influence this last week.” He’s one of the few players in this squad with any character.

71 min: The hobbling Manquillo is replaced by Jose Enrique. Once that’s done, Gerrard fires the free-kick a few yards wide.

70 min: Goodman is booked for a foul on Gerrard in the middle of Wimbledon’s half.

68 min: Shea keeps Wimbledon’s hopes alive. Liverpool broke through the middle and Gerrard, who had options to his left, played in Lambert on the right. His low shot towards the near post is diverted wide by Shea, however, and Wimbledon deal with the corner.

67 min: Shea runs outside his area to collect the ball as Manquillo closes in and then dribbles it back into the area and plunges on it just in time. He almost ended up handling outside the area.

65 min: Sam Vokes has equalised for Burnley against Tottenham. It’s 1-1 at Turf Moor.

63 min: Wimbledon almost do it again immediately! Rigg heads down from the left and Bulman volleys inches over the angle of post and bar from 12 yards out! Mignolet didn’t move. That all happened while Skrtel was down in the middle of Liverpool’s half after falling awkwardly on his back.

61 min: Fuller is booked for a nasty scythe on Coutinho on the edge of the Wimbledon area. Gerrard is standing over this. He’ll score.

60 min: Liverpool are starting to dominate again. Wimbledon’s energy levels have dropped in the last few minutes.

57 min: Fuller completely loses his bearings as the ball drops out of the sky and into the Wimbledon area and Liverpool appeal for a penalty when the ball falls on his outstretched right arm. Jon Moss rules that it was accidental. “Mignolet and Liverpool’s back 3/4/5 (delete where applicable) will most likely end up getting Brendan the sack and yet he’s been ignoring the issue for years now,” says Matt Kemp. “If you were in charge of an office and some joker set off the fire extinguisher in your face twice a week, surely you’d fire him?”

56 min: Lambert flicks a header on to Gerrard, but the Liverpool captain’s cross is poor.

56 min: This is a bit better from Liverpool, at least until Manquillo hits a cross straight through to Shea.

53 min: Coutinho pops up on the left of the Wimbledon area, eluding Fuller, and cuts back inside, only to ram his shot wide of the far post. Gerrard was looking for a pass. He’s not happy.

51 min: Liverpool don’t want to know at the moment. Lucas is guilty of a cheap concession of possession and Wimbledon break. Akinfenwa tries to play Rigg in but Can should have it covered but he gets himself in a horrible tangle and allows the Wimbledon man to beat him and race into the area. Rigg has no support, however, and raps his shot over the bar. Up the other end, Henderson shoots from the edge of the area but it’s blocked by Manquillo of all people.

50 min: Liverpool are being swamped by the intensity of Wimbledon. They’ll lose is if they don’t start showing a bit more fight.

49 min: Nacer Chadli has made it Burnley 0-1 Tottenham in the night’s other Cup tie.

47 min: Kennedy’s cross from the left is headed away, but Gerrard hands the ball straight back to Wimbledon with a poor pass to Moore, whose shot from 25 yards is deflected away for a corner on the right. Once again, it’s panic stations in the Liverpool defence. Barrett heads Francomb’s corner goalwards but Gerrard is in the right place to head the ball off the line!

46 min: Here we go again. Brendan Rodgers has presumably read some fortifying Plato to his troops at half-time in a bid to gee them up.

45 min+1: There will be one minute of stoppage time, during which Akinfenwa delights the crowd by duping a couple of Liverpool defenders with a delightful dragback, before Henderson whacks a shot from 30 yards over the bar and out of the ground! That pretty much sums it up for Liverpool since their goal.

45 min: Manquillo’s cross from the right has Lambert interested but Fuller heads it away. Moments later, Gerrard slips.

43 min: Markovic, always a threat, scampers into the Wimbledon box but Fuller stands firm again and Wimbledon end up with a free-kick. Brendan Rodgers looks unimpressed with his team.

40 min: Liverpool turn up on the edge of Wimbledon’s area for the first time in a while. Coutinho twists and turns but he’s met with Wimbledon defiance again.

39 min: Akinfenwa gives away his umpteenth free-kick of the night and is booked for persistent fouling.

38 min: Markovic tries to maraud down the left again but Fuller stays with them all the way and wins the ball firmly but cleanly. Wimbledon really have the bit between the teeth now! They’re properly up for this! Liverpool have to be careful. They won’t be enjoying this one bit.

35 min: Rigg, who looks quite nifty, wins a corner off Lucas on the left. Lucas momentarily ends up in the crowd. Wimbledon really are all over them at the moment. And...

33 min: Liverpool’s defending really is a joke. Not a good one. Shea thumps a goal-kick straight down the middle and Liverpool fall to bits as Akinfenwa forces it on towards the area and Rigg heads it through to Tubbs. He looks certain to score and he manages to hook the ball past Mignolet with his left foot but, agonisingly, it drops a yard the wrong side of the left post! What a chance! And what an escape for Liverpool! Their defence is so soft.

31 min: Wimbledon suddenly have a feel for this, sparked into life by that chance a few moments ago. They’re quicker to the ball and the crowd is upping the volume.

29 min: Simon Mignolet denies Wimbledon an equaliser with an excellent instinctive save! The corner from the right led to chaos in the area and although Liverpool half-bundled it clear, the ball was put straight back into the area. Another scramble. Legs. Arms. Bodies. Everywhere. A complete mess. The ball falls to Rigg and his snapshot, heading towards the roof of the net from six yards out, is turned over by Mignolet! From the subsequent corner, Barret heads over.

28 min: Kennedy hoicks a high cross into the area from the left. Akinfenwa is there. But Sakho beats it to him and heads it away. Back come Wimbledon, though, and Francomb pops up on the right and drills a low cross into the six-yard box, Skrtel just turning it past the post and behind for a corner.

27 min: Sakho whacks a pass straight out for a throw-in. Oh dear.

25 min: Liverpool are in complete control at the moment.

23 min: Get Vinny Jones on.

21 min: Akinfenwa gives away another free-kick. It’s been a tough start for the big man. “If it is, as you said in your preamble, The Crazy Gang v The Culture Club, then some serious questions need to be asked about the impartiality of Jon Moss,” says Matt Dony. “Boom.”

19 min: The dangerous Markovic goes on another power burst down the left, driving past Fuller and into the area, but his cross-shot flashes over Shea and a few yards wide of the far post.

17 min: Sakho is a little winded after being caught by Francomb. “Now, I love Monday night football as much as the next consumer, but it does mean clash with Only Connect,” says Matt Dony. “I’m hoping for a last-season-esque early blitz, a few goals up within half an hour, so I can change channel and spend a bit of time with Victoria Coren-Mitchell, before coming back for the second half...”

14 min: I suppose the embarrassing thing for Gerrard is that it was really cliched of him to score that goal. Who’s laughing now? “I’m sure I’m not the only one astonished to see a walking, talking, living, breathing Steven Gerrard on the pitch tonight,” says Charles Antaki. “I had formed the distinct impression that he had died about a week ago. Many clubs will be casting envious eyes at resurrective powers of the Liverpool medical team.”

10 min: Tubbs is found by another long ball on the right of the Liverpool area, but he can’t beat Sakho, before Akinfenwa bundles Henderson over in the middle. I imagine being bundled over by Akinfenwa can’t be a pleasant experience. Jon Moss gives him a talking-to.

8 min: But here’s some encouragement for Wimbledon! A straight ball is pumped through the middle and Akninfenwa flicks it on to Tubbs, whose header finds Rigg racing in behind the Liverpool defence on the left. His touch just forces him a tad wide, however, and he drags his shot bobbling past Mignolet but beyond the far post from a tight angle. That was a decent chance. Liverpool have been warned.

7 min: Markovic again causes problems for Wimbledon with a swift burst up the left. It takes him to the edge of the area, where he lays it off to Lambert. He finds Gerrard, but his sidefooter from 20 yards is blocked. “Resolutions, is it?” says Phil Sawyer. “Well, I resolve to stop sending lazy hastily constructed emails replying to obvious MBM riffs from the likes of McMahon and ... oh ... erm ... hang on ...”

5 min: Gerrard pings a lovely ball over the left of the Wimbledon defence and through to Manquillo. He brings it down, possibly with his hand, but his low centre is cleared. Liverpool, unsurprisingly, are bossing possession at the moment. Wimbledon haven’t seen much of the ball yet.

4 min: Markovic dribbles up the left and rolls a pass inside to Henderson, who finds Coutinho. He tries to cut inside and shoot but his effort is blocked easily enough by Francomb.

3 min: Lucas just outmuscled Akinfenwa and knocks him over. What a softie.

2 min: “Did Simon Mignolet arrange for Daniel Taylor’s seat so his flaps won’t be reported?” parps Mike MacKenzie.

We’re off! Wimbledon, all in blue, get the game underway, kicking from left to right in the first half. Immediately Steven Gerrard is on the attack, though. He wins a throw on the right. Then Manquillo is sent flying by Rigg. It seemed an innocuous enough challenge but he looks likes he’s gone over on his ankle and the Spaniard is hobbling a fair bit.

And here come the teams, walking out into a rollocking atmosphere. It’s loud, it’s cramped, it’s ... magical. The Liverpool fans are singing about Steven Gerrard. “While it has a nicely indie feel (their website offering Bettye Lavette as a new release), The Cherry Red Records Stadium is disappointingly more JJB or KC than Plough Lane,” says Elliot Carr-Barnsley. It doesn’t look like it from here.

The teams are in the tunnel. Will Adebayo Akinfenwa have a word in Steven Gerrard’s era?

“I can’t quite believe that this game is being played at Cherry Red Records Stadium,” says Mark ‘Randy’ Wagstaff. “Maybe you can take the opportunity to punctuate your MBM with a soundtrack entirely made up of Cherry Red releases. My personal favorite is the 1982 “Pillows and Prayers” compilation, which features this gem from Quentin Crisp…. his ‘Stop the Music’ is surely a precursor to the Fiver’s ‘Stop Football’. On a side note, only -15C at the moment in Chicago, but apparently with the wind chill it feels like -26C…..so no danger of me going anywhere away from the computer and the MBM.

The fourth-round draw is over. The winner of this match will face Bolton Wanderers at home. The full draw is here.

“Evening Jacob, and Happy New Year,” says Simon McMahon. “January of course means FA Cup, but also resolutions. So here’s one. Football, stop taking yourself so seriously. You’re a game. To watch Sky over the festive season, you’d think Stevie G had found a cure for cancer whilst simultaneously securing peace in the Middle East. He’s leaving Liverpool in the summer, in case you hadn’t heard. As for Thierry Henry, I’m reassured to know that he will die believing in better. Get a grip. As for me, I’m going to get out more.”

That Henry advert gets more ridiculously overblown each day. They’ll have him presenting himself via the medium of song and dance in it soon.

The FA Cup fourth round draw is being covered by Alan Smith here. It starts at 7.30pm.

Steven Gerrard starts for Liverpool tonight. I’ll have the full teams for you shortly.

Here’s the view our chief football writer, Daniel Taylor, has at tonight’s game. It’s a glamorous life.