By Philomina Brando
Liverpool’s quest for an unprecedented quadruple was dealt a shocking blow on Sunday as the Premier League leaders suffered a 1-0 defeat to Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup fourth round. The loss, courtesy of Ryan Hardie’s second-half penalty, marked a stunning upset for the Reds, who rested several key players and were well below their best at Home Park.
“The way we played, there wasn’t a lot to be happy about,” Liverpool manager Arne Slot said after the game. “The only thing I was happy about was that the boys kept on fighting for 100 minutes and probably the best part of the game was the last 10 minutes.”
Slot’s side, which has been dominant in the Premier League, struggled to create chances throughout the contest, with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, and Virgil van Dijk left out of the squad. The crucial moment came near the start of the second half when Harvey Elliott handled the ball inside Liverpool’s box, and Hardie converted the subsequent penalty.
“We all came today with a dream and the dream was to get to the next round,” Hardie told ITV after the match. “We’ve done it. I don’t know what to say to be honest.”
Despite dominating possession for the rest of the contest, Liverpool was unable to find a late equalizer, with Diogo Jota having an effort saved by Conor Hazard and the goalkeeper also tipping Jarell Quansah’s header over the bar.
As the nine minutes of extra time drew to a close, Plymouth hung on for a famous victory, bringing a ray of hope to the team’s otherwise bleak season. The south-coast side, which has won just five league games and looks set to be relegated from the Championship, celebrated a historic win that will be remembered for years to come.
According to Opta, this was just the fourth time that the team at the top of the Premier League has been knocked out of the FA Cup by a side from outside the top flight. The loss is a setback for Liverpool, which remains six points clear at the top of the Premier League with a game in hand and has an EFL Cup final against Newcastle next month and is through to the last 16 of the Champions League.