Quadruple bid over as Plymouth dump much-changed Liverpool out of cup
Liverpool's James McConnell (left) reacts to a missed chance during the Emirates FA Cup fourth round match at Home Park, Plymouth. Pic: Adam Davy/PA Wire.
Arne Slot’s decision to field a much-changed Liverpool side backfired as the Premier League leaders were knocked out of the FA Cup by bottom of the Championship Plymouth Argyle.
Ryan Hardie’s penalty early in the second half after Harvey Elliott had handled the ball saw Miron Muslic’s struggling side earn a shock victory at Home Park.
Slot had signalled before the game that he was likely to make changes, following a big Carabao Cup semi-final clash with Spurs on Thursday, and opted for ten, including youngsters James McConnell and 17-year-old Trey Nyoni in the starting 11 while Virgil Van Dijk, Mo Salah, Ryan Gravenberch, Ibrahima Konate, Alexis Mac Allister, Andy Robertson and Cody Gakpo were all left out of the squad, along with the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold.
And Liverpool looked very much like a team that had not played together before in the first half, unsurprising given many of them had not, and were not helped by being forced into an early reshuffle when Joe Gomez was taken off with an injury to be replaced by youngster Isaac Mabaya.
But the Reds had enough attacking quality on the pitch in Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa to have caused Plymouth more problems than they did. James McConnell saw a shot from distance well stopped by goalkeeper Conor Hazard in a half of minimal action.
Plymouth were marginally the more dangerous of the two sides, with their best chance coming through Darko Gyabi, who volleyed over from just inside the box.
But after a lively start to the second half which saw Callum Wright go close with a shot which deflected just over the bar, the Pilgrims were awarded a penalty when the ball shot up at Elliott and he was adjudged to have handled it.
James McClean supporting his fellow Derryman, Trent Kone-Doherty, after he made his Liverpool debut
— IrishPropaganda🇮🇪⚽️ (@IrishPropaganda) February 9, 2025
Things you love to see 🇮🇪💚 pic.twitter.com/cVyIiXtCN7
Hardie stepped up and made no mistake from the spot with his low, powerful effort sending Caoimhin Keller the wrong way.
Slot unsurprisingly opted to throw on Darwin Nunez in response, but what was surprising was his decision to bring off 20-year-old Mabaya, who had himself come on as a substitute after 11 minutes for the injured Gomez.
And Argyle could easily have had a second when the ball fell to Hardie in the box from a tight angle and his low shot was saved by Kelleher onto the outside of the post.
But with Nunez and the unused Curtis Jones the only recognised senior players on the bench, Slot lacked options to change the game which told in their inability to put Argyle under much pressure until late on.
That was until a mix-up at the back between goalkeeper and defence presented McConnell with a golden opportunity with Hazard off his line, but the midfielder fired wide of the target much to the relief of the passionate home support. Hazard then produced a great save to keep out Jota’s effort which looked destined for the top corner.
Hazard saved his best moment of the game until the ninth minute of added time though, acrobatically tipping over Nunez’s header moments before the final whistle blew.
The fact Liverpool are in a Carabao Cup final, lead the Premier League with 15 games to go, and are straight through to the Champions League round of 16 should serve as some consolation to Reds supporters. But the fact that Slot’s back-up options, who have been so reliable when called upon this season, could not get the job done against an inferior opponent presents a cause for concern heading into the crucial part of the season with silverware up for grabs.
Haz0ard 9; Talovierov 8, Katic 8, Pleguezuelo 7 (Palsson); Sorinola 7, Randell 7 (Boateng), Gyabi 8, Puchacz 7; Hardie 8 (Obafemi), Bundu 7 (Tijani), Wright
Kelleher 7; McConnell 6, Quansah 6, Gomez N/A (Mabaya, Nunez), Tsimikas 6; Endo 6, Elliott 6, Nyoni 5 (Kone-Doherty); Chiesa 5, Jota 5, Diaz 5
Samuel Barrott 7
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
