In one of the biggest FA Cup upsets of the FA Cup round, Championship strugglers Plymouth Argyle delivered a stunning 1-0 victory over Premier League leaders Liverpool at Home Park. Ryan Hardie’s second-half penalty proved decisive, sending the hosts into the fifth round and abruptly halting Liverpool’s pursuit of an unprecedented quadruple.
Despite making ten changes to the side that reached the Carabao Cup final just days earlier, Liverpool still boasted an attacking trio of Luis Díaz, Diogo Jota, and Federico Chiesa. But against a resolute Plymouth defense, they looked blunt, disjointed, and far removed from the relentless force that had swept past Tottenham.
Plymouth, sitting rock-bottom of the Championship, embraced their underdog status with grit and determination. Defender Nikola Katic even lost a tooth in a first-half collision but battled on. The hosts limited Liverpool’s chances and when their moment arrived, they seized it.
The breakthrough came in the 53rd minute when Darko Gyabi’s clever flick struck Harvey Elliott’s raised arm inside the box. Hardie, who had missed a crucial penalty against Chelsea in the FA Cup three years ago, made no mistake this time, calmly dispatching the spot-kick to spark wild celebrations.
“It’s a big moment in Argyle’s history,” Hardie said in a post game interview. “We all came dreaming today, and we’ve done it.”
The Scottish forward almost doubled Plymouth’s lead when his strike rattled the post, but as Liverpool pressed for an equalizer in the final minutes, goalkeeper Conor Hazard produced two brilliant stops to deny Jota and Darwin Núñez, sealing a historic victory.
For Arne Slot, this was a brutal reality check. Resting key figures like Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Dominik Szoboszlai with an eye on the Merseyside derby backfired, leaving a youthful and inexperienced side unable to impose themselves.
The midfield pairing of 17-year-old Trey Nyoni and 20-year-old James McConnell struggled to dictate play, while established stars such as Díaz and Chiesa failed to step up. By the time Liverpool finally carved out a clear chance in the dying minutes, it was too little, too late.
With their FA Cup dreams over, Liverpool must now shift focus to their title push. A win in Wednesday’s derby at Goodison Park would ease the pain of this defeat.
