Plymouth Stuns Liverpool in FA Cup Shock as Arne Slot Learns a Harsh Lesson
Wow, what a game! If there’s one thing the FA Cup teaches us time and time again, it's to never take any opponent lightly. And Liverpool just got a brutal reminder of that. In a stunning fourth-round upset, Championship strugglers Plymouth Argyle sent Premier League leaders Liverpool crashing out of the FA Cup with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Home Park.
Arne Slot, who has had a brilliant start at Anfield after succeeding Jurgen Klopp, made a costly mistake by heavily rotating his squad. He made ten changes to the team, clearly prioritizing other competitions. And Plymouth, led by their new coach Miron Muslic, grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
Liverpool’s attack featured stars like Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, and Federico Chiesa , but they played with no urgency, as if this was just another routine match. Meanwhile, Plymouth fought for every ball, roared on by an electric home crowd. The decisive moment came in the 52nd minute when Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott handled the ball in the box, gifting Plymouth a penalty. Ryan Hardie stepped up and smashed it home, sending the Green Army into a frenzy.
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Liverpool tried to respond, but Plymouth's defense stood firm . Goalkeeper Conor Hazard became a hero, making huge saves to deny Jota and substitute Darwin Nunez. Even in stoppage time, as Liverpool threw everything forward, Plymouth held their ground. When the final whistle blew, Home Park erupted—this was their moment, their FA Cup fairy tale.
To make things even more dramatic, Plymouth's defender Nikola Katic had his front tooth knocked out in a collision with a teammate but carried on playing—a testament to the fighting spirit Muslic has instilled in this squad.
Slot was gracious in defeat, admitting his side simply wasn’t good enough. "Plymouth had a great game plan, and they deserve all the credit," he said. But Liverpool fans will be wondering why key players like Salah, Van Dijk, and Mac Allister weren’t even on the bench as a safety net.
This loss isn’t just embarrassing—it’s historic. Plymouth became the first team outside the top flight to knock out the Premier League leaders since Wigan beat Man City in 2018 . And for Liverpool, it was their first FA Cup exit to a lower-league side while being top of the table since 1984 .
The FA Cup magic is alive and well, and Plymouth just wrote themselves into football folklore.
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