Liverpool suffered a humiliating FA Cup exit as Championship strugglers Plymouth ended their quadruple bid with a surprising 1-0 win within the fourth spherical on Sunday.
Arne Slot’s choice to subject a weakened Liverpool workforce got here again to hang-out him, with Ryan Hardie’s second-half penalty sealing Plymouth’s epic upset at Residence Park.
Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Andrew Robertson and Cody Gakpo had been among the many stars rested as Slot made 10 modifications from the workforce that thrashed Tottenham 4-0 within the League Cup semi-final second leg on Thursday.
In a remarkably profitable first season accountable for Liverpool, it was a uncommon blunder by the previous Feyenoord boss.
Liverpool’s fourth defeat in all competitions this season was simply the third time the Premier League leaders had failed to attain below Slot.
It was solely the fourth time {that a} workforce high of the Premier League had been eradicated from the FA Cup by a decrease division membership.
Now Liverpool should shake off the embarrassment of their depressing journey to the west nation in time for the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park towards Everton on Wednesday.
There may be no need for Liverpool to panic as a win over Everton would transfer them 9 factors away from second-placed Arsenal within the title race.
The Reds are additionally by way of to the Champions League final 16 and can face Newcastle within the League Cup last in March.
Masterminding a well-known victory over Liverpool whereas preventing to haul Plymouth off the underside of the Championship was no hardship for Argyle supervisor Miron Muslic, who was a refugee from war-torn Bosnia as a toddler.
Muslic — employed by Plymouth to interchange the sacked Wayne Rooney in January — was compelled to maneuver to Austria aged 9 after escaping his house city of Bihac after it fell below siege by Serbian forces in 1992.
Plymouth had already overwhelmed Premier League aspect Brentford within the third spherical, however their victory towards West Brom final weekend was their first within the league since November.
Within the circumstances, Plymouth’s very good efficiency will rank as one of many FA Cup’s best giant-killings.
• Liverpool distress –
Below a wintry solar by the Devon coast, Liverpool’s under-strength line-up obtained even weaker when Joe Gomez limped off injured early within the first half.
Liverpool struggled to search out any momentum as gritty Plymouth labored tirelessly to maintain them at bay.
It took till the thirty sixth minute for Liverpool to muster a shot on the right track when James McConnell’s long-range drive was repelled by Conor Hazard.
Slot wore an exasperated expression that summed up Liverpool’s lethargy even earlier than Darko Gyabi’s overhead kick was blocked by Harvey Elliott’s raised arm within the 54th minute.
It was a transparent penalty and Hardie saved his composure to ship Caoimhin Kelleher the incorrect method from the spot.
Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez had been denied by advantageous saves from Hazard in stoppage-time as Residence Park erupted in celebration of an astonishing outcome.
Wolves cruised into the fifth spherical as two targets within the area of 39 seconds sealed a 2-0 win at second-tier Blackburn.
Languishing simply two factors above the underside three within the English high flight, Vitor Pereira’s aspect took a welcome break from the combat to keep away from Premier League relegation.
Wolves, who haven’t been to the FA Cup last since they final received the competitors in 1960, went forward within the thirty third minute when Joao Gomes’s shot beat Balazs Toth’s weak tried save.
Lower than a minute later, Wolves netted once more as Nelson Semedo’s go despatched Matheus Cunha racing clear and the Brazilian ahead’s blistering strike whistled into the far nook.
Below-fire Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou can’t afford one other cup exit when his workforce go to Aston Villa in Sunday’s late match.
Postecoglou boasted earlier this season that he at all times wins a trophy in his second marketing campaign, however the Australian’s choices to attain that concentrate on can be dwindling if Villa knock them out.
AFP
