Plymouth Argyle produced a classic FA Cup giant-killing as the Championship’s bottom club stunned Premier League leaders Liverpool at a raucous Home Park.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot made 10 changes from the side that swept Tottenham aside to reach the Carabao Cup final – and paid the price as Plymouth made the most of the opportunity to secure a place in the fifth round.
A scrappy tie came to life eight minutes after the interval when Plymouth were awarded a penalty after Harvey Elliott’s handball, Ryan Hardie drilling home the spot-kick in emphatic fashion.
Hardie almost added a second shortly afterwards when his shot was turned on to the post by Liverpool keeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
Liverpool applied some pressure in the closing stages, keeper Conor Hazard saving superbly from Diogo Jota then miraculously from substitute Darwin Nunez’s header, but Plymouth closed out a landmark win under new manager Miron Muslic.
Plymouth’s atmospheric Home Park erupted with a deafening roar as the final whistle sounded on a victory they will recall forever in Devon.
The sinking of Liverpool was a triumph for Plymouth’s charismatic manager Muslic, who has won the hearts of the ‘Green Army’ since succeeding the sacked Wayne Rooney.
In a stunning atmosphere, Plymouth sensed their chance when Liverpool’s teamsheet landed, with stellar names such as Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk not even on the bench.
Plymouth, as they had to, made the tie a scrap and then the decisive moment came when Elliott needlessly handled, allowing Hardie to assume the role of match-winner.
And they found a hero in keeper Hazard in those closing moments as he saved from Jota, then miraculously from Nunez’s header.
The main priority remains survival in the Championship, but the FA Cup demonstrated its enduring magic by producing a result that Plymouth hope will help their fight to stay up.
Slot’s FA Cup plan ends in embarrassment
Liverpool manager Slot has known little other than praise and victory in a stellar start after succeeding Jurgen Klopp – but talk of a quadruple will now be shut down after a harrowing afternoon in Plymouth.
Slot has taken Liverpool to the top of the Premier League, the Carabao Cup final and into the last 16 of the Champions League with barely a mis-step.
Here, however, he played a high-risk game with Liverpool’s FA Cup ambitions and lost.
Only keeper Kelleher remained from the 4-0 win over Spurs in Thursday’s Carabao Cup semi-final, with Van Dijk and Salah left at home.
How Slot must have wished he could call on Salah as Liverpool’s desperation levels rose in the closing stages, Hazard keeping them out in a frantic finale.
Liverpool still had experienced internationals of the calibre of Luis Diaz, Jota and Federico Chiesa to call on, as well as Elliott, Wataru Endo and Kostas Tsimikas.
None rose to the occasion, while Liverpool’s young brigade looked lost in this hostile environment.
Liverpool will now return to their Premier League title pursuit in the Merseyside derby at Everton on Wednesday – but this is the biggest disappointment of the Slot era so far.
By BBC Sports
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