Plymouth Argyle embodied the magic of the cup at Home Park, as they knocked out Premier League giants Liverpool in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
A Ryan Hardie penalty in the second half secured victory for the home side, who are now into the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 2007.
As it happened
Just three days after reaching the Carabao Cup final, Liverpool were back in action, this time in the FA Cup fourth round. The Reds had eased past Accrington Stanley in the previous round, and now faced another lower league opponent in Plymouth Argyle. Arne Slot made wholesale changes to his side, with Caoimhin Kelleher being the sole survivor from Thursday night’s 4-0 thrashing of Spurs.
Plymouth, meanwhile, were hoping to claim another Premier League scalp after defeating Brentford in the third round. Miron Muslić’s side are currently slumped at the bottom of the EFL Championship but have seen a recent upturn in results: an impressive 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light was followed up with a win against play-off-chasing West Brom last week.
There was little rhythm in the opening stages. Makeshift captain Joe Gomez was forced off with an injury just 10 minutes into his return to the side. He was replaced by 20-year-old Isaac Mabaya, who came on at right-back to make his senior debut.
Embed from Getty ImagesAnother halt in play was required moments later, as Plymouth’s Nikola Katić needed treatment following a collision to the face with teammate Adam Randell.
Liverpool were frustrated for the majority of the first half. The Reds were unable to produce their usual exhilarating football, mainly as result of of Plymouth’s discipline and organisation.
In fact, it was the home side who began to increase their momentum as the game went on. The Pilgrims were causing plenty of problems, especially for Waturu Endō, who was forced back into defence following Gomez’s injury. The Japanese international was robbed of the ball by Mustapha Bundu, who poked it forwards for Tymoteusz Puchacz but his strike was blocked by Mubaya. Endō then had to deal with a succession of crosses, as Plymouth piled on the pressure.
Liverpool were able to regroup just before the interval. Their best chance of the half came on 35 minutes, when James McConnell drilled a shot from 25 yards out and forced a low, diving save out of Conor Hazard.
It was then the perfect start to the second half for the Championship side. In the 51st minute, a long throw from Matthew Sorinola found its way to Darko Gyabi, who attempted to flick the ball back into the box, only for it to be handballed by Harvey Elliott, whose were hands raised in an unnatural position. The referee instantly blew his whistle and awarded a penalty for Plymouth.
Hardie stepped up and coolly tucked the spot kick away into the bottom left corner, sending penalty-expert Kelleher the wrong way. Incredibly, the Championship’s bottom side were leading against the Premier League’s top.
Embed from Getty ImagesHardie almost doubled his tally on the hour mark. A free kick was launched into the box and fell his way, but his shot was smartly saved by Kelleher as he poked it onto the post with his foot.
It was then a barrage from Liverpool. A wave of attacks from the away side as they pushed for an equaliser. Slot brought on Darwin Núñez in the hope of some attacking inspiration but it was to no avail, as Plymouth remained resolute and determined to defend their lead.
Their best chances came in injury time. First, Diogo Jota’s attempt from outside of the box was superbly tipped past the post by Hazard. Then, in the 98th minute, the Plymouth goalkeeper was called upon again. A free-kick floated into the box was headed across goal by Jarell Quansah, finding it’s way to Núñez but his header was incredibly tipped over the bar by Hazard.
It was a classic FA Cup fairytale at Home Park. A Plymouth side that have endured a torrid season deservedly beat one of Europe’s most in-form teams. After defeating Premier League opposition in successive rounds, Argyle have now made it to the furthest point in the competition since their sixth round exit to Watford in 2007.
For Liverpool, they will have to regroup quickly ahead of a pivotal Merseyside derby at Goodison Park on Wednesday.
The lineups
PLY: Hazard; Pleguezuelo, Katić, Talovierov; Puchacz, Gyabi, Randell, Sorinola; Wright, Bundu, Hardie
LIV: Kelleher; Tsimikas, Gomez, Quansah, McConnell; Nyoni, Endō, Elliott; Díaz, Jota; Chiesa