Plymouth Stun Liverpool, End Slot’s Quadruple Dreams in FA Cup Upset

Plymouth pull off a shocking FA Cup upset, eliminating Liverpool and crushing Arne Slot’s hopes of a quadruple in a dramatic encounter.

Liverpool faced a humiliating exit from the FA Cup after Championship underdogs Plymouth ended their quest for four trophies with an unexpected 1-0 victory in Sunday’s fourth-round match.

Arne Slot’s choice to field a weakened Liverpool squad proved costly, as Ryan Hardie’s second-half penalty secured Plymouth’s stunning upset at Home Park.

Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Andrew Robertson, and Cody Gakpo were some of the notable players who sat out as Slot implemented 10 changes to the lineup that dominated Tottenham with a 4-0 victory in the second leg of the League Cup semi-final on Thursday.

In an otherwise impressive debut season managing Liverpool, the former Feyenoord boss made a rare mistake.

Liverpool’s fourth loss across all competitions this season marked only the third instance where the Premier League leaders were unable to score under Slot.

This marked only the fourth instance where a team leading the Premier League was knocked out of the FA Cup by a club from a lower division.

Liverpool now needs to overcome the embarrassment of their challenging trip to the West Country before facing Everton in the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park on Wednesday.

Liverpool has little reason to worry, as a victory over Everton would put them nine points ahead of second-placed Arsenal in the title race.

The Reds have also advanced to the Champions League round of 16 and are set to face Newcastle in the League Cup final this March.

Orchestrating a renowned victory over Liverpool while striving to lift Plymouth from the bottom of the Championship was no real challenge for Argyle manager Miron Muslic, who experienced life as a refugee from war-torn Bosnia during his childhood.

Muslic, who was brought on by Plymouth to succeed the dismissed Wayne Rooney in January, had to relocate to Austria at the age of nine after fleeing his hometown of Bihac when it came under siege from Serbian forces in 1992.

Plymouth had previously defeated Premier League team Brentford in the third round, but their win over West Brom last weekend marked their first league victory since November.

Given the circumstances, Plymouth’s outstanding performance will be regarded as one of the FA Cup’s most remarkable giant-killings.

Beneath a cold winter sun along the Devon coastline, Liverpool’s already weakened team became further depleted when Joe Gomez hobbled off with an injury early in the first half.

Liverpool had difficulty gaining momentum as a determined Plymouth put in relentless efforts to hold them back.

It wasn’t until the 36th minute that Liverpool managed a shot on target, with James McConnell’s long-range attempt being stopped by Conor Hazard.

Slot wore a frustrated expression that encapsulated Liverpool’s sluggishness even before Darko Gyabi’s overhead kick was blocked by Harvey Elliott’s raised arm in the 54th minute.

It was an obvious penalty, and Hardie maintained his cool to steer the ball past Caoimhin Kelleher in the wrong direction from the spot.

Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez saw their efforts thwarted by exceptional saves from Hazard during stoppage-time, as Home Park erupted in celebration over an astonishing result.

Wolves advanced to the fifth round with ease, securing a 2-0 victory at second-tier Blackburn thanks to two rapid goals scored within just 39 seconds.

Vitor Pereira’s team, positioned just two points away from the relegation zone in England’s top league, gratefully paused their battle to stave off Premier League demotion.

Wolves, who last reached the FA Cup final in 1960 when they won the competition, took the lead in the 33rd minute as Joao Gomes’s shot got past Balazs Toth through a feeble save attempt.

In under a minute, Wolves scored once more when Nelson Semedo’s pass set Matheus Cunha free. The Brazilian forward unleashed a powerful shot that zipped into the far corner of the net.

Tottenham’s manager, Ange Postecoglou, is under pressure and cannot afford another cup elimination as his team faces Aston Villa in Sunday’s late match.