Plymouth Argyle Knock Out Liverpool, Cause Biggest Upset in FA Cup

PLYMOUTH, SUNDAY – Plymouth Argyle, bottom of the Championship League, surprisingly eliminated Premier League leaders Liverpool, thanks to a 1-0 victory in the fourth round of the FA Cup, Sunday (9/2/2025), at Home Park Stadium. Liverpool's quadruple ambition, aka winning four trophies this season, has officially failed.

The smile of Plymouth Manager Miron Muslic when he witnessed his protégés facing Liverpool's last corner kick threat in the 90+9 minute represented the feelings of Plymouth supporters. The team nicknamed "The Greens" had confidence in maintaining their lead over Liverpool, which was secured through an attacking midfielder Ryan Hardie's penalty execution in the 53rd minute.

The penalty was awarded after Liverpool's Harvey Elliott handled the ball to block Plymouth midfielder Darko Gyabi's pass. Elliott's hand was in full swing as he was in position to block the ball.

The victory over Liverpool brought Plymouth to the fifth round or the last 16 of the FA Cup. The last time the Greens reached the round of 16 was in the 2006-2007 season. At that time, their journey in the world's oldest football competition was halted in the quarter-finals due to a loss to Watford. That was Plymouth's best achievement in the FA Cup in the 21st century.

Despite that, Plymouth's best achievement in the FA Cup was still presented in the 1982-1983 edition. They managed to reach the semifinals while competing in the English Third Division at that time.

However, despite their historical record in the FA Cup since first participating in the 1903-1904 season, eliminating Arne Slot's Liverpool is a historic achievement that is hard to match in the 139-year journey of the club.

Plymouth hosted Liverpool as the team at the bottom of the Championship League, the second tier of English football. They dismissed Wayne Rooney on the last day of 2024, then appointed Muslic in the first week of January 2025.

Before facing Liverpool, Plymouth only had a victory over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday (1/2/2025). It was Plymouth's first win with Muslic, ending their winless streak since November 6, 2024.

The victory over Liverpool marked Plymouth's first positive result in two consecutive games in the 2024-2025 season. One thing that is even more impressive, if not to be called miraculous, is Plymouth's success in not conceding any goals against Liverpool.

Before facing Liverpool, they had only managed four clean sheets in 34 games played this season. No wonder Muslic has created an extraordinary record as Rooney's successor.

In fact, he is already better than Rooney. In the winning percentage against Plymouth, Muslic has collected 33 percent of wins. Meanwhile, Rooney only recorded 20 percent wins in 25 games.

"We all came here today with a dream and to be able to make it happen. I don't know what else to say," Hardie, scorer of Plymouth's historic winner, told ITV.

Plymouth midfielder Callum Wright praised Muslic's tactical approach. Not just a matter of strategy, Wright also took his hat off to Muslic's transfer policy which brought in two new center-backs in the winter transfer window, namely Nikola Katic and Maksym Talovierov.

"They (the two centre-backs) played solidly. The manager brought them in to strengthen us until the end of the season. They have done that. We also played compactly, so Liverpool could not conquer our defense," Wright said as reported by the BBC.

In the game against Liverpool, Katic was Plymouth's captain. He organized the team's defense well to suppress Liverpool's four attackers in the second half. They were Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, and Federico Chiesa.

Maksym is capable of making crucial blocks in the heart of his team's defense. Every time he is able to make a block or sweep, Maksym always celebrates the moment as if he had scored a goal.

"This victory gives us confidence for the rest of the season. We implemented a good defensive structure. All the players gave their 100 percent and did what the coach asked," Katic was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.

Plymouth's progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup also cannot be separated from the heroic saves of goalkeeper Conor Hazard. In the second half's nine minutes of added time, Hazard made three crucial saves.

First, he kept out Jota's volley from outside the box with two hands in the 90+3 minute. Next, he anticipated Liverpool's two final chances through headers in the last minute owned by Nunez and Caoimhin Kelleher, Liverpool's goalkeeper.

Hazard's performance sent the Plymouth fans at Home Park into raptures. Then, thanks to three saves, he left the Liverpool fans, who packed the stands behind his goal in the second half, holding their heads and shaking in disappointment.

Meanwhile, Liverpool's failure to advance to the next round was also influenced by Slot's massive rotation. He did not bring key players, such as Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Alexis Mac Allister.

Despite a blunt front line, Liverpool played below their best due to a disappointing midfield. Without Gravenberch, Szoboszlai and Mac Allister, the Reds' heart was not beating as well as usual.

Slot's teenage players in midfield, such as Trey Nyoni, James McConnell, Isaac Mabaya, and Trent Kone Doherty, have not been able to approach the quality of the main squad. Despite recording 75 percent possession and 593 passes, Liverpool's attacks were very monotonous and easily anticipated by Plymouth.

“Their movement was very un-Liverpool,” said Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler in his ITV preview of the match.

Slot praised Plymouth's performance. According to him, his team's defeat was due to failing to maximize momentum.

"My players kept fighting until the last second. This defeat is not based on work ethic, but they failed to create chances. We have to be more creative," Slot told ITV.