The first time Liverpool have been knocked out of the competition by a lower-league opponent while leading the table since January 1984, against Brighton.
Image credit: Livescores
Liverpool’s head coach Arne Slot has enjoyed a seamless transition since succeeding Jurgen Klopp, but Plymouth Argyle handed him a brutal lesson in the magic of the FA Cup.
Despite making 10 changes, Liverpool’s heavily rotated side fell 1-0 to the Championship’s bottom-placed team, marking a significant giant-killing moment.
Ryan Hardie’s second-half penalty sealed a famous win for Plymouth, whose passionate “Green Army” roared them to victory.
CHAMPIONSHIP SIDE PLYMOUTH ARGYLE TAKE THE LEAD FROM THE SPOT OVER PREMIER LEAGUE LEADERS LIVERPOOL đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/LK5dvMt9UV
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 9, 2025
Slot’s decision to rest key stars like Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Dominik Szoboszlai backfired spectacularly, as Liverpool’s attack, featuring Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, and Federico Chiesa, failed to break through.
Plymouth’s defense, led by Nikola Katic and Maksym Talovierov, stood firm, while goalkeeper Conor Hazard delivered match-winning saves.
Liverpool did apply late pressure, but it was repelled by Plymouth’s heroic efforts.
Slot was dignified in defeat, saying:
Great game from Plymouth. Good gameplan. They deserve all credit for the performance. We were not having a very good day and a result like this is the outcome.
I think we are able to do better. Plymouth have a system and a way of playing where it is quite hard to create chances against them. They were really aggressive when we had the ball. We expected the players to play a better game than this but we have to give credit to Plymouth as well.
It hurts everyone associated with Liverpool – fans, me and the players. We all wanted to be in the FA Cup and compete for as long as possible. It is a setback.
Plymouth were the first side from outside of the top flight to eliminate the Premier League leaders since Wigan against Manchester City in February 2018.
Plymouth goalkeeper match winning save that stopped Liverpool’s quadruple hopes#FACup
— Henz (@UTDHenz) February 9, 2025
pic.twitter.com/5ygk1EFouq
This was also the first time Liverpool have been knocked out of the competition by a lower-league opponent while leading the table since January 1984, against Brighton.
For Liverpool, priorities may lie elsewhere, with a Carabao Cup final and a Merseyside derby on the horizon.
But for Plymouth, this historic win symbolizes their resurgence under new manager Miron Muslic. The FA Cup still holds its magic—just ask Liverpool.