Championship Plymouth Argyle pulled off the biggest shock of the FA Cup fourth round with a 1-0 victory over Premier League leaders Liverpool at Home Park on Sunday.
Ryan Hardie’s 53rd-minute penalty was the difference between the two sides as Liverpool’s hopes of a quadruple this season were abruptly ended.
Arne Slot made 10 changes to the team that beat Tottenham Hotspur to reach the Carabao Cup final on Thursday, with only goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher keeping his place. A number of first-team players were not included in the squad as Slot named a youthful bench, with Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Ryan Gravenberch, Andy Robertson, Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo and Ibrahima Konate all omitted ahead of Wednesday’s Merseyside derby.
Liverpool still boasted an experienced forward line of Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa, and with Darwin Nunez introduced from the bench, but they could not find a way past the Championship’s bottom side.
Plymouth defender Nikola Katic lost a tooth in the first half after colliding with team-mate Adam Randell, but he played on and formed part of a robust defensive line who ensured goalkeeper Conor Hazard had a relatively quiet afternoon until he was called up to produce two fine saves in second-half stoppage time.
After a goalless first half, Plymouth were awarded a penalty in the early stages of the second as Darko Gyabi flicked the ball over his head and it struck the raised arm of Harvey Elliott.
(Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Hardie dispatched the spot kick to give the hosts the lead. It was the forward’s third goal in the space of a week following his match-winning double against West Bromwich Albion last Sunday, and came nearly three years to the day since he missed a penalty in extra time against Chelsea as a then League One Plymouth almost forced a shootout against their Premier League opponents at Stamford Bridge.
Hardie struck the post as Plymouth came close to doubling their advantage, but the hosts were forced to absorb a heavy spell of pressure from Liverpool in the final 20 minutes. James McConnell sliced an opportunity wide as the clock ticked towards the 90-minute mark following a mix-up at the back, and goalkeeper Hazard, who was otherwise rarely tested, tipped a Jota effort around the post in added time.
Hazard made another finger-tip stop to deny Nunez on the cusp of full time as Plymouth held firm through nine minutes of stoppage time and recorded a famous victory.
It marks the second successive upset in this season’s FA Cup for Plymouth following their third-round victory over Brentford and a remarkable result for new head coach Miron Muslic, who was appointed as Wayne Rooney’s successor in January.
“We all came today dreaming,” Hardie told ITV Sport. “The dream was to get to the next round and we’ve done it.”
Plymouth will discover their fifth-round opponents during Monday’s draw.
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‘Liverpool’s worst performance of the season’
Analysis from The Athletic’s Liverpool writer Gregg Evans at Home Park
This was Liverpool’s worst performance of the season and it highlighted just how important the big-hitters are to the team.
Arne Slot made the decision to leave the likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai back home with one eye on the crucial Merseyside derby against Everton in the Premier League on Wednesday and only in time will it become clear whether that decision backfired or not.
Winning the Premier League this season is the priority and Liverpool have the chance to extend their lead to nine points with a win in midweek in the last derby at Goodison Park. If they do, then this FA Cup exit will be written off as collateral damage and soon forgotten about.
Right now, though, the pain is raw. This was as laboured as Liverpool have been all season and without their stars, they were far removed from the free-flowing, all-action unit that cruised past Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-final in midweek.
It wasn’t until the final minute of normal time that they created a genuine goalscoring opportunity and even then James McConnell blazed wide.
Losing captain Joe Gomez early on to an injury didn’t help as it meant Wataru Endo had to drop into defence, leaving the young and inexperienced midfield pair of Trey Nyoni, 17, and McConnell, 20, to set the tempo — a task they struggled to meet.
Issac Mabaya, 20, also came off the bench for his debut and it quickly became clear Liverpool were far their usual best.
The below-par displays from other more experienced players like Luis Diaz, Federico Chiesa, and Harvey Elliott contributed to an underwhelming display against a side who, despite their lowly position at the bottom of the Championship, fought hard for everything and were able to find a ruthless streak when it mattered.
(Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)
