The Football Association have slapped down Liverpool over Jurgen Klopp's attack on FA Cup replays during the winter break - by claiming the club had willingly agreed to the plans over the summer.

Liverpool were held to a draw in their FA Cup fourth round tie after fielding a weakened Shrewsbury side on Sunday, with Klopp claiming afterwards he would play no senior players and would ask the club's Under-23 manager to take the team in the replay as he would prioritise the scheduled winter break.

"The Premier League asked us to respect the winter break," he said. "That's what we do. If the FA doesn't respect that, then we cannot change it. We will not be there."

That has met with a furious response, with Accrington chairman Andy Holt asking for the club to be censured and fined in a battle for their stance.

The FA are powerless to intervene, but they have instead taken the rare step of issuing a public rebuke, pointing out that all Premier League clubs agreed before the season that potential FA Cup replays would be played in the first midweek of February - whether or not they were scheduled to be on the new winter break.

In a statement sent to the Daily Telegraph, the FA said: "The FA went to great lengths to create an annual mid-season player break, working closely with the Premier League and its clubs. It is a new and significant addition to the English football calendar and is designed to benefit clubs and their players."

The governing body is understood to be particularly taken aback by criticism given it had been one of the original champions for giving players time off midway through the season.