Liverpool’s Dream for a Quadruple Shattered by Plymouth in the FA Cup

Sunday was a magical night for the fans of Plymouth Argyle as they watched their team beat the Premiere League leaders and currently the best team in the world; Liverpool. It was the first time Plymouth managed to beat Liverpool since 1956 and they have now progressed to the 5th round in the FA Cup.

Ryan Hardie scored the only goal of the match from the penalty spot after Harvey Elliott handled Darko Gyabi’s flick on 53 minutes. Plymouth sits at the bottom of the Championship table and will look for a trophy in the FA Cup after the memorable performances in the competition.

Arne Slot was disappointed with his team’s performance after suffering only 4th defeat as Liverpool’s manager. He made 10 changes to the side that thrashed Tottenham 4-0 in the semi-final of the League Cup on Thursday.

Liverpool’s squad depth is unbelievable, as after resting Muhammad Salah, Virgil Van Dijk, and Cody Gapko, they still have the likes of Diogo Jota, Federico Chiesa, and Luis Diaz in the attack. Despite all these star names, Plymouth shocked the footballing world and kept a clean sheet.

Plymouth’s fans were exuberant after the victory, calling it their greatest victory against a Premiere League team. Famous comedian and fan of Plymouth Argyle, Josh Widdicombe, said, "Suddenly people want to talk about Plymouth Argyle for the first time in my life."

This is Plymouth’s first victory against Liverpool since 1956

Gary Lineker, the renowned Pundit at Sky Sports, was equally shocked and blamed Slot for Liverpool’s loss. “I just wonder whether perhaps his inexperience of cup competitions in this country and how small clubs can rise up for the occasion and whether because. That wasn’t just resting a few players was it; they weren’t even on the bench, the big guns."

However, Liverpool’s boss defended resting his players and commended Plymouth’s tactics. "Regrets? No because you never know what would happen if we played with our starters over here," Slot said. "I think during the season we have seen a few times already that this is a game plan [from Plymouth], a style which is difficult for our starters but also for the players who started today.”