Plymouth Argyle pulled off an enormous shock on Sunday as they dumped Liverpool out of the FA Cup at the fourth-round stage with a 1-0 win.
Ryan Hardie‘s 53rd-minute penalty after Harvey Elliott‘s handball proved to be decisive as Arne Slot’s team lost for only the fourth time this season in all competitions.
Slot rested many of his superstars for the contest — with Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo not included in the matchday squad — and paid the price, as Plymouth claimed one of the most famous wins in their history while ending Liverpool‘s pursuit of an unprecedented quadruple.
Goalkeeper Conor Hazard and center-back Nikola Katić were integral to the rearguard efforts that saw Plymouth over the line, with Hazard making a series of saves in second-half stoppage time that will no doubt live long in the memories of the home fans in attendance at Home Park.
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Premier League leaders Liverpool were bereft of ideas and had only one shot on target in the opening half, and they were forced into an early change when defender Joe Gomez went down injured.
They upped the tempo after falling behind, but Hazard proved to be the hero for Plymouth as the Northern Irishman brilliantly kept out Diogo Jota‘s volley and a header from Darwin Núñez.
“At the end of the day, it is my job. So I am delighted with that,” Hazard said when asked about the Jota save.
Having made 10 changes to the side that hammered Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 in the League Cup semifinal second leg at Anfield on Thursday, Slot had no regrets over his team selection against Plymouth.
Núñez was the only established first-team player the Dutchman brought off the bench as Liverpool chased an equalizer at Plymouth, with the Uruguayan striker coming on in the 58th minute.
“[No regrets] because we’ve seen a few times already, it’s a playing style that is difficult. I think today showed why we played with who we used, they need momentum to be ready for the upcoming months. We saw it today,” Slot told reporters.
“The result is obvious, a big disappointment. Way we played, not a lot to be happy about. The boys kept fighting for 100 minutes. They kept fighting but credit to Plymouth, a good game-plan, worked hard and it was a clear penalty, correct decision.”
Information from Reuters contributed to this report.