That’s all from me. Thanks for reading, and for your emails. Cheers, and congrats again to Plymouth! The FA Cup is alive and well!
Forget all that Liverpool stuff, the attention should be firmly on Plymouth for a steely, well-deserved win over the Premier League leaders. The Championship’s bottom-placed club truly deserved their win. They scored, hit the post and defended for their lives – at least part of the reason that Liverpool were so poor was because Plymouth restricted them. Katic, Talovierov and Hazard in goal were particularly outstanding. Sorinola made a sensational block to deny Diaz.
I wonder if they can turn this cup form into the Championship. Plymouth face Millwall on Wednesday. They are bottom and have a lot of ground to make up on some ‘big’ clubs down the bottom. But if you can beat Liverpool, you can beat anyone. It will be interesting to see if Miron Muslic can save Argyle from relegation come the end of the season.
This is the Championship table, as things stand.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Portsmouth | 31 | -17 | 30 |
| 21 | Hull | 30 | -9 | 29 |
| 22 | Derby | 31 | -9 | 28 |
| 23 | Luton | 30 | -19 | 27 |
| 24 | Plymouth | 30 | -34 | 25 |
Slot was very gracious there. I’m not sure that he can be criticised too heavily for his starting XI – only Nyoni and McConnell are not first-team regulars – but the Dutchman has to take some stick for his selection of substitutes. Liverpool simply didn’t have the quality on the bench to turn this around when it went south. Would it really have been detrimental to Gakpo or Szoboszlai or Mac Allister if they had made the trip to Devon to sit on the bench. I was also shocked that Curtis Jones didn’t make it onto the pitch.
Attention now turns to Wednesday. The Merseyside derby against Everton at Goodison Park, for the final time. In some ways this was a bad result for David Moyes and co. Liverpool players won’t be lacking in motivation to put things right.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot speaks!
Great game from Plymouth. They deserve all the credit. But we did not have a very good day. The result is the outcome.
It’s not the boys didn’t fight. Both teams hardly created anything but it was decided by a penalty that was awarded correctly.
I think our players are able to do better but I’m not completely surprised. There were lots of long balls and really aggressive. It takes time for these players to play together.
It hurts everyone. The fans, my, the players. We couldn’t find openings.
Jonathan Liew's match report from Home Park
A reminder that the draw for the FA Cup fifth round will take place on Monday night at 7.10pm GMT (on BBC’s The One Show for those viewing in the UK).
Miron Muslic, Plymouth’s manager, is the next to speak:
Speechless. And normally they tell me I’m eloquent. Another chapter in Argyle’s history. The desire to defend. It’s Liverpool. They will be on you. But the lads are fantastic. It’s a big moment. I think I will only realise that when I leave the stadium tonight, when I get back to my apartment for a quiet moment.
We also needed a bit of luck, and we had that but I feel we deserve this today. It’s a magical day for us. But we have to go again on Wednesday [against Millwall in the Championship]. We showed a togetherness today. I think we are ready.
A penny for the thoughts of Wayne Rooney, please.
Plymouth’s Katic is player of the match. It could only be him. He speaks to the ITV cameras.
I fucking love it. I fucking love it. I realised that when I arrived. Everyone gave 100%. I hated Hazard [Plymouth goalkeeper] when I got here because he’s a Celtic guy and I’m a massive Rangers guy, but he gave us this win today.
Hazard made two outrageous saves in stoppage time to deny Liverpool, remember.
A few emails from readers:
“Some will say this is a few changes too far from Slot, producing a disjointed Reds performance,” writes Ben Wilkinson. “But there was still enough quality on the field to win this game. All credit to Plymouth for a dogged, gutsy game, frustrating Liverpool from the whistle.”
“Don’t be too harsh on Arne,” argues txaxks. “I reckon everyone in his position would do the same. Completely rest everybody for a HUGE three months ahead and in this season, at this moment, going out the FA Cup is probably a good thing.”
“As a Liverpool fan, I would like to congratulate Plymouth Argyle heartily,” emails Rupak Pramanik. “Their tenacity and desire were commendable, and a BIG thanks to them for shutting down the quadruple talks. Been there, been heartbroken, we can keep our feet on the ground and work on ourselves without much of the unnecessary drama”.
“I always feel sorry for squad players when several of them are thrown together all at once,” writes AJ. “Any one or two of them could easily fit in to an established first team and do a good job, get some experience and improve. But it’s always likely to fail changing the entire team this way”.
Home Park erupts! The Plymouth fans can’t believe their eyes! Liverpool, the Premier League leaders, the team that finished top of the Champions League league phase, are beaten. Their quadruple hopes are over.
Full-time: Plymouth Argyle 1-0 Liverpool
Plymouth register their first win over Liverpool for the first time since 1956! Woooooow!
Updated
90+10 min: What a save from Hazard to deny Nunez at the death! WHAT A SAVE!
Updated
90+9 min: Talovierov is booked for charging into Chiesa. One final opportunity for Liverpool to throw the ball into the box. Up comes Kelleher for the free-kick …
90+8 min: I think a lot of Liverpool fans were hoping that this would be the day that Chiesa would finally show the quality that saw him become one of the players of Euro 2020. But the Italian has been terrible. It appears that Juventus knew something the rest of us didn’t last summer.
90+6 min: Katic is like a magnet to the ball. He’s heading away every cross that Liverpool are putting into the box.
90+4 min: Huge save from Hazard! The Plymouth keeper flings himself to his right to tip a Jota shot around the post. The Portuguese’s effort was heading into the top corner. Back come Liverpool but Kone-Doherty’s shot is blocked and Chiesa’s cross is awful. Plymouth clear!
90+2 min: Chance for Plymouth and Tijani! A hopeful ball is delivered to the back post, Tijani meets it with a diving header but the ball is blocked by Elliott’s backside. The Liverpool man didn’t know much about that but it was a crucial intervention.
90 min: Hazard is booked for timewasting at the restart. There will be nine minutes added on here! Nine!
89 min: Chance for Liverpool and McConnell! A mix-up between Katic and Hazard means the loose ball drops to the young Liverpool midfielder on the edge of Plymouth’s box. But with Hazard out of his goal and out of position, McConnell skews his finish wide! Katic and Hazard berate each other for their combined indecision but will both be relieved!
Updated
88 min: Plymouth have dropped into a low block now. Some of their players are on their last legs, Sorinola in particular is struggling with cramp.
86 min: Plymouth’s towering defenders Taloverov and Katic have been absolutely magnificent today. Sometimes there is is a beauty in just being able to head and kick a football. Liverpool swing another corner in but it is Katic that beats the Liverpool attackers.
84 min: Jota gets to the byline on the left and flashes a thrilling low cross across Plymouth’s six-yard box but Nunez is nowhere to be seen. The Uruguayan is not a natural poacher, part 478,726.
82 min: Liverpool are starting to apply pressure. After a short corner, Chiesa sends in two crosses: the first is abysmal, but the second is sublime, a curling, swirling thing to the back post, which just evades Quansah. The Reds are getting closer.
80 min: Ten minutes left for Liverpool to get a goal and take this to extra time. Otherwise, the Reds can say goodbye to their quadruple hopes.
“I know we have bigger fish to fry but this is still a poor team selection from Slot,” emails David Wood. “Got to respect the FA Cup and the opposition”.
78 min: From a Plymouth corner (in which Quansah made an excellent header at the front post), Liverpool break with Elliott releasing Jota down the right. The Portuguese is felled by Sorinola, who seems content to take a yellow card. From the resulting free-kick, Hazard claims easily. Liverpool really can’t get anything going, even from set pieces.
76 min: Liverpool make a change in midfield, but it’s not the one we expected. The booked Nyoni comes off but it’s 18-year-old Kone-Doherty who comes on. Time is ticking for Liverpool.
74 min: Brilliant block from Sorinola, as Liverpool spring into life. A hopeful cross comes in from the right through a crowd of bodies towards Diaz, who steals a march on Sorinola, but the Plymouth wing-back throws himself at the ball and makes a stupendous block to prevent Diaz’s shot from heading towards the corner.
Plymouth make two changes: Bundu and Randell off, Tijani and Boateng on. It’s worth highlighting that Plymouth-born Randell was in the Home Park stands the last time Liverpool came to Plymouth in 2017.
72 min: “No leadership on the pitch,” emails Jack Brimm. “No one on Liverpool is directing the game. It’s all aimless.”
“Usually, I think Arne Slot has pulled all the right levers and made all the right adjustments, but this squad selection was a huge gamble,” adds Joe Pearson. “Eleven guys that look like they’ve never played together. Too slow. Poor positioning. And there’s no one on the bench to fix it”.
70 min: Plymouth striker Bundu is booked for leaving a few stud marks in the top of Nyoni’s foot. Ouch.
68 min: Tsimikas has been woeful. With a few Liverpool teammates waiting in the box, the Greek’s cross would better be described as a clearance into the away fans. With Robertson getting on a bit, there will be a few Reds fans in that away end hoping for Milos Kerkez in the summer, I’m sure.
66 min: Pleguezuelo has not managed to run off that knock, and the Plymouth defender is replaced by the tattooed Palsson. I wonder if that will disrupt Argyle’s back-line, which as so far been immaculate.
63 min: Nyoni gives the ball away as he tries to find Elliott in midfield and I would be shocked if Curtis Jones does not soon replace the cautioned 17-year-old, who has undoubted talent but is not giving Liverpool the required control here.
“Well, this is embarrassing,” emails Patrick Crumlish. “Strength is depth not as good as has been touted.”
Plymouth hit the post!
61 min: Plymouth so close to doubling their lead! From a deep free-kick, Katic heads the ball back across Liverpool’s box. Hardie collects the ball, swivels and only a brilliant toe from Kelleher turns the ball onto his near post and behind! Liverpool are hanging on!
59 min: Liverpool make a change, Darwin Nunez is on for the unfortunate Mabaya, who only made his senior debut when he himself came on as a substitute earlier in this match. It’s not a great look for the right back, but he hasn’t played very well and is also on a booking. There will be brighter days ahead for the 20-year-old, one hopes.
Pleguezuelo is back on his feet. We’re underway again.
58 min: Pleguezuelo is hurt and receives some treatment. Both managers use the stoppage to give their players instructions – Slot looks unsurprisingly animated as four Liverpool players congregate around their boss.
57 min: Chiesa screws a shot horribly wide as Liverpool lurch forward for the first time this half.
55 min: You wouldn’t say that that goal was coming, but Liverpool have been so abject that they were always liable to be punished by one poor moment. And that moment has come to pass!
GOAL! Plymouth 1-0 Liverpool (Hardie pen 53)
Ryan Hardie steps up … and sends Kelleher the wrong way! Hardie goes left, Liverpool’s goalkeeper goes right and the Championship’s bottom side lead! Wow!
Updated
Penalty to Plymouth!
51 min: Harvey Elliott handles in Liverpool’s area! The away side argue, but his arms were above his head as Gyabi volleyed the ball into the Liverpool man.
Updated
50 min: Plymouth are on top! How long will Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones stay on Liverpool’s bench?!
48 min: Wright gets the better of Mabaya on the left wing, cuts inside, and only an excellent headed block from Endo prevents the ball from hurtling towards the top corner. Corner to Plymouth … but the delivery fails to beat the first man.
Peeeeeeeeeeeeep!
We’re off again at Home Park.
The teams are back out, both unchanged. Liverpool were hilariously bad in the first half. And if you’re after another Devon-based joke …
Half-time reading:
Half-time: Plymouth 0-0 Liverpool
The best team in the land have been woeful!
45+3 min: The half is petering out without note.
“Not convinced by Chiesa,” emails Stephen Rimmer (from Rio de Janeiro). “Just seen that Kenny [Dalglish] is at the match. I’d bring him on down the right for second half”.
45+1 min: More frustration for Chiesa, who just fails to latch onto a promising pass from Nyoni. The Italian flashes a wry smile in annoyance.
45 min: Three minutes added on here. Plymouth are comfortable. For now.
44 min: Yellow card for young Mabaya, the Liverpool right back cautioned for kicking the ball away after conceding a throw in. Both he and Nyoni on bookings, now.
42 min: Chance for Plymouth! From a long throw, the ball breaks kindly to Gyabi in Liverpool’s box, but the 20-year-old leans back and the ball flies high and wide. A good chance, all things considered!
40 min: Plymouth manager Miron Muslic is a very handsome man but I fear he struggles from a rare problem: almost too much hair. Too much volume.
38 min: This is a horrible, frenetic, scrappy game. Exactly the one that Plymouth would have been hoping for, but exactly the sort of match that Diogo Jota will eventually score two goals in. Let’s see.
Updated
36 min: A shot! A Liverpool shot! McConnell takes aim from range and his deflected strike is saved by Hazard, who tips the ball away.
34 min: “We are already approaching ‘never-to-be-forgotten tedium’”, emails Joe Pearson.
Yep, it’s not been a rip-roaring 34 minutes of football. I suspect Slot will be very unimpressed at half-time if this continues.
32 min: Penalty shout for Plymouth?! Bundu wins both his header and retrieves the loose ball before tangling with Tsimikas in Liverpool’s box. It’s all a bit clumsy and messy before the ball bounces through to Kelleher. There are home claims for a penalty, but replays show that there was nothing there. Tsimikas just did enough to ease away the big Plymouth striker.
30 min: Chiesa looks bereft of confidence and has his pocket picked by Puchacz. Eeeeeesh.
28 min: Should mention that Callum Wright, Plymouth’s attacking midfielder today, grew up on the same Merseyside estate as Steven Gerrard and even served as a Liverpool team mascot at the Champions League semi-final against Chelsea in 2008, although Wright’s youth career was at Tranmere Rovers and Everton.
Updated
26 min: McConnell has been particularly wasteful since moving into Liverpool’s midfield. The Premier League side are really struggling for fluency.
24 min: Talovierov, Plymouth’s new 6ft4in centre back signed from Lask in January, snaps into a tackle with Diaz and wins a goal kick for his side, something he celebrates in front of the home fans like a goal.
22 min: Chiesa has barely had a kick so far, but the Italian is working hard, as per the pre-match wishes of his manager. Chiesa is harrying his full-back and Plymouth keeper Hazard whenever they have the ball.
Updated
20 min: Nyoni gets an early booking for steaming into Randell, who has been everywhere for Plymouth so far. That is a frustrating yellow card for Nyoni, who will now need to watch his step for the remaining 70 minutes. Katic has rejoined the pitch for Plymouth.
Updated
18 min: Plymouth are a man down while Katic receives treatment off the pitch. Batten down the hatches, lads!
16 min: Next player down is Plymouth’s back Katic, whose excellent form has been behind his side’s recent revival. I think he might have lost a front tooth after colliding with his captain, Randell. The camera pans to Plymouth manager Miron Muslic, who seems quite amused about his centre-back losing a tooth.
14 min: Liverpool haven’t settled since the reshuffle. Elliott, normally so composed, passes the ball out for a Plymouth throw before cursing to the heavens.
12 min: Plymouth win a corner off Tsimikas, which is whipped right under the Liverpool crossbar but Kelleher does well to punch the ball away.
10 min: In worse news for Slot, Gomez (Liverpool’s captain today) has gone down with an injury. Is that a recurrence of the hamstring problem that has plagued his season? Unclear. Gomez is going to have to go off! On comes Isaac Mabaya for his senior debut!
A big reshuffle for Liverpool: Mabaya will go to right back, McConnell into midfield and Endo to centre back.
Updated
8 min: Plymouth’s captain, Adam Randell, crunches into Quansah in what looks like a very sore tackle for the Liverpool defender. Late but very much a ‘let-them-know-you’re-there’ challenge. Ouch.
6 min: Liverpool settle into their possession-based footy, but another good counter-attack from Plymouth gives them cause for concern as Hardie strides forward on the right and whips a dangerous low cross towards Wright, well gathered by Kelleher.
4 min: Gomez has lined up at centre-back, partnering Quansah, rather than at right back. Instead, McConnell is at full-back, which means Endo is in his regular midfield role alongside teenager Nyoni.
2 min: Plymouth make an early in-road, winning a flick-on to release Hardie. The striker initially pulls clear of Liverpool’s defence but dawdles slightly and Gomez gets back to make an important block. A good start from the home side!
Peeeeeeeep!
We’re underway at Home Park. Plymouth in their famous green and white, Liverpool is their changed white and black kit.
"As a Liverpool fan, I’m thinking that starting eleven better get the job done, because that bench is about as thin as I’ve ever seen,” emails Joe Pearson.
Yes, I’m not sure Slot is going to turn to his young guns in the unlikely event that things do go south for Liverpool. Curtis Jones and Darwin Nunez will surely be called upon, but I would expect to see a few debuts if the away side pull away.
The teams are out! Joe Gomez is Liverpool captain today and leads the away team out. Home Park looks absolutely resplendent in the Devon sunshine.
We all know about half-and-half scarves. There’s a bloke in the home end with a half-and-half Plymouth/Liverpool shirt! The game has officially gone.
Updated
Elliott mentioned how young Liverpool’s substitutes are. It’s true – only Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones are established names on the bench.
Liverpool manaager Arne Slot speaks!
It’s going to be difficult. They have changed managers, changed playing styles, a very direct playing style. There will be a lot of long balls, second balls, a lot of crosses to defend.
It’s going to be very difficult for Chiesa to play his best football today because of Plymouth’s playing style. But what I want to see from him today is work rate, fight. It’s going to be the same against Everton [the Merseyside derby is at Goodison Park on Wednesday], lots of long balls, lots of second balls. But I hope he can also show his quality.
This is an excellent Ben Fisher interview with Plymouth’s new-ish manager, Miron Muslic. Do give it a read.
Harvey Elliott, who became Liverpool’s youngest ever player when he played in the FA Cup five years go, speaks to the ITV cameras:
I feel like I’m getting old, when you remind me of that. Now there are 16-year-olds on our bench today. There are opportunities that youngsters can get.
We’re in a position where we can go for everything [in terms of the quadruple]. But there are dangers, it’s a really tough game today. Hostile stadium. We just need to stick to the plan and defend with our lives.
Speaking of Chiesa, do read Jonathan Liew on the Italian, who is popular with both Liverpool teammates and fans despite rarely featuring for the Reds this season since his summer move from Juventus.
Let’s unpack those teams.
Plymouth make two changes from the starting XI that beat West Brom last week: Hardie comes in for Baindoo, while Houghton is replaced by Gyabi – the latter is an eye-catching choice because this is his first appearance for Plymouth this season. The on-loan Leeds midfielder also joined Argyle last season but mostly failed to make an impression from the start.
There is some youth in Liverpool’s line-up, but this is still an experienced side peppered with internationals. The front three of Chiesa, Jota and Diaz is as good as any attack you will see in any side all weekend. Trey Nyoni, 17, makes just his second senior start and his sixth appearance overall in Liverpool’s midfield, alongside 20-year-old James McConnell, who is rated highly by Arne Slot.
The teams!
Plymouth: Hazard, Taloverov, Katic, Pleguezuelo, Sorinola, Randell, Gyabi, Puchacz, Bundu, Wright, Hardie.
Subs: Grimshaw, Mumba, Houghton, Obafemi, Boateng, Tijani, Al Hajj, Baidoo, Palsson.
Liverpool: Kelleher, Gomez, Endo, Quansah, Tsimikas, Nyoni, McConnell, Chiesa, Elliott, Diaz, Jota.
Subs: Jaros, Nunez, Jones, Kone-Doherty, Mabaya, Nallo, Ngumoha, Norris, Young.
Updated
Preamble
What a cup tie this is. One team bottom of the Championship, the other top of the Premier League and yet, there is the faintest whiff of an upset here. Plymouth have already despatched top-flight Brentford in the third round (under the interim duo of the first-team coach Kevin Nancekivell and the club captain Joe Edwards, the first game since the sacking of Wayne Rooney) and are on something on a hot-streak recently, drawing 2-2 at fourth-placed Sunderland and beating fifth-placed West Brom in their last two Championship matches.
All credit then to Miron Muslic, then, who endured a difficult start to life at Home Park, but seems to have galvanised the players and fans recently. It’s easy to see why: his initial address to the squad after their win at Brentford went viral. In impressive English for a man that has never previously worked in England, Muslic seems to know his way around a speech.
Of course, Liverpool are heavy favourites, not just for this match but for the competition in general, especially with Arsenal and Chelsea suffering early exits. This is their first match at Home Park since 2017, where Jürgen Klopp fielded Liverpool’s youngest-ever side – including an 18-year-old Trent Alexander-Arnold – who had to settle for a frustrating 0-0 draw (“a match of never-to-be-forgotten tedium” with Liverpool winning the replay 1-0). Argyle will surely take a draw at 90 minutes today, although the game will now go to extra-time and possibly penalties if that is the case. There is also no VAR today, remember.
Regardless of the odds and regardless of the result, Devon will be rocking. How often can you say that?
Kick-off: 3pm GMT.
