Liverpool faced a surprising defeat in the FA Cup, losing 1-0 to struggling Championship side Plymouth Argyle. The Devon-based team, who are currently at the bottom of the Championship standings, advanced to the last 16 of the competition thanks to Ryan Hardie’s penalty in the 53rd minute.
This follows Plymouth’s earlier victory over Premier League club Brentford in the previous round. Plymouth’s form in the Championship has been underwhelming, with only one win since early November, a 2-1 triumph over West Brom on February 1st.
Miron Muslic, who replaced Wayne Rooney as manager in January, was left “speechless” by the upset. He remarked, “Another chapter in Argyle’s history. Showing this performance, desire and joy to defend against Liverpool, who will be on you. The lads did it fantastic today.”
Liverpool’s defeat ended their hopes of securing the Quadruple this season. The team will now shift their focus to their upcoming derby match against Everton on Wednesday.
Liverpool’s manager, Arne Slot, commended Plymouth’s effort, saying, “They deserve all the credit,” and acknowledged, “We were not having a very good day. A result like this is the outcome. I can’t say the boys didn’t fight, both teams barely created a chance and then it was a penalty. In a game like this, it is up to one moment. That moment was for them and they deserve it.”
He also added, “Not easy to create especially if a team has not played together all the time. It hurts everyone. We were all wanting to be in this competition for as long as possible.”
