We have our FA Cup upset. And what an upset. What a result for the ages. What a brilliant endorsement of this competition, its history and what it means. What a performance from Plymouth Argyle, bottom of the Championship, against a previously imperious Liverpool who simply could not cope.
Quadruple no more. Not this season. Yes, Arne Slot made 10 changes. Yes, he left the big guns like Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk at home. Yes, he lost captain Joe Gomez early on and, yes, the Liverpool head coach is prioritising other competitions.
But try telling that to the Green Army. “Que sera, sera, we’re going to Wembley,” they sang soon after Ryan Hardie scored his penalty, awarded for a handball against Harvey Elliott, to give them an early second-half lead. How they drank in the occasion. How they supported their players. If Plymouth play like this there is absolutely no way they will go down.
This was also, undoubtedly, the worst Liverpool have played in their 30 matches under Slot who cut an agitated figure on the touchline. It was only their fourth defeat of the season in all competitions and, after the Premier League loss at home to Nottingham Forest last September, the only one that mattered.
They will probably go on to win the Premier League, they are one of the favourites in the Champions League and are in the final of the Carabao Cup but, for Plymouth, it makes this giant-killing all the more memorable.
More to follow...
05:52 PM GMT
Thanks for joining us
That brings our coverage of this FA Cup fourth round tie an end. Thank you for joining us!
05:48 PM GMT
‘We came here today with a dream’
More from Plymouth match-winner Ryan Hardie, speaking to ITV:
We all came here today with a dream and we have done it. I don’t know what to say.
On his penalty:
There is obviously a lot of pressure. It is about picking your side, and I committed to it.
05:46 PM GMT
‘It was always going to be tough’
Plymouth goalkeeper Conor Hazard speaking to ITV:
What an atmosphere. It was always going to be tough against Liverpool but the boys were brilliant today.
On saving Diogo Jota in the closing stages:
At the end of the day, it is my job. So I am delighted with that.
On Nikola Katic’s performance:
What a performance from him. He has made such a massive difference since coming in and we are lucky to have him.
05:42 PM GMT
Attention now turns to Villa Park
Ange Postecoglou’s side gets us underway at Villa Park. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool are already out of the FA Cup. Can Aston Villa or Tottenham Hotspur go on a lengthy cup run?
Follow Telegraph Sport’s coverage of the game via our dedicated live blog.
05:38 PM GMT
More from Plymouth manager Miron Muslic
Here’s more from Plymouth manager Miron Muslic, who says that his team were well structured against Liverpool.
Speaking to ITV:
It’s easier to defend without gaps, then we just filled it with intensity and desire, heart, clearances, the saves in the end, you need this and a bit of luck, we had everything
100 percent, I’m convinced if you can structure, organise and bring passion, you’re almost there, we can collect points, it’s magical.
Enjoy, we’re part of Argyle history and we have to go again on Wednesday and we will.
It’s a big day for all of us, we deserve all of this, if you can beat Liverpool, don’t get me wrong, you need luck, but we had it. We had it in the Home Park, something very important, to challenge and I think we’re ready.
I don’t care who we play next, [Man Utd] are more than welcome!].
05:27 PM GMT
Plymouth defender Nikola Katic’s thoughts
This is why I came here. it is good to get confidence of this win. We did good with the defensive structure and everybody gave their 100 per cent. We did what the coach asked from us. That is it.
05:26 PM GMT
Arne Slot speaking after the game
Great game from Plymouth, good game plan and they deserve all the credit for their performance. We were not having a very good game and a result like this can happen.
I don’t think I can say the boys didn’t fight, I think both sides barely created anything across 100 minutes. The one moment was for them with the penalty, which was correctly given, and credit to them.
05:23 PM GMT
Hardie on scoring his penalty
There is obviously a lot of pressure. It is about picking your side, and I committed to it.
05:17 PM GMT
Muslic speaking after the game
Speechless, and normally they tell me I’m eloquent. A big day and another chapter in Argyle’s history. Showing this performance, this enjoyment to defend, It’s Liverpool, they will be on you and the lads did fantastic.
It’s about clarity and structure. I wanted to organise this team and fill this structure with intensity and then you can be competitive and hard to beat.
I think I will realise this moment when I get back to may apartment and reflect.
We get the defenders more structured and tight, it is easier for them if there are no gaps. You need also a little bit of luck, and we had everything today.
05:13 PM GMT
Freed from desire plays at Home Park
05:12 PM GMT
The vagaries of cup football
2 - Since the start of November, Plymouth have beaten as many Premier League clubs in all competitions (Brentford & Liverpool) as they have fellow Championship sides (Portsmouth & West Brom). Occasion. pic.twitter.com/a9fO8TEIkY
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 9, 2025
05:07 PM GMT
The celebrations commence
05:01 PM GMT
FT: Plymouth 1 Liverpool 0
One of the biggest FA Cup shocks in recent memory as bottom of the Championship beats top of the Premier League. Slot’s raft of changes were understandable but a makeshift team struggled for fluency throughout. Liverpool rallied in the last 10 or 15 minutes but it was not enough. Katic and Taloverov were outstanding at the back for Plymouth and Hazard came up trumps with his two saves at the end.
04:59 PM GMT
98 minutes: Plymouth 1 Liverpool 0
Kelleher goes long, but Plymouth win the seconds and Wright hammers clear. Sorinola can only kick the ball down the line back to Kelleher, he can barely walk. Good work from Obafemi but Tijani’s pass was too heavy, and Taloverov is penalised for a challenge from behind on Chiesa.
Liverpool have a free-kick to put in the mixer with one minute to go.
Kelleher has come up for it. Left of centre, Tsimikas is going to clip the ball in.
What a save from Havard again! Fingertips to deny Nunez after the cross was headed back across goal to where Liverpool had the numbers.
From the corner, Kelleher plants a header straight at Hazard. Plymouth might be there now.
04:55 PM GMT
96 minutes: Plymouth 1 Liverpool 0
Chiesa with a shot charged down in the box, before Katic puts his head in where it hurts yet again to clear. Tijani gets his foot in for Plymouth, before Chiesa curls an aimless cross behind for a Plymouth goal kick. The home team have just three minutes to survive.
04:53 PM GMT
94 minutes: Plymouth 1 Liverpool 0
Big save from the Plymouth goalkeeper Hazard! Classic Jota, barely a half-chance but he turned it into a moment of danger with a volley on the spin from outside the area. Plymouth stand firm from the corner, and the ball drifts behind for a goal kick. Five minutes to play.
04:52 PM GMT
92 minutes: Plymouth 1 Liverpool 0
Better couple of minutes from Plymouth, the ball is down the right end from their perspective.
And Tijani has a presentable chance for the second goal to kill the game! Back post diving header from Wright’s cross, blocked.
04:50 PM GMT
90 minutes: Plymouth 1 Liverpool 0
There will be NINE minutes of added time. That is an incredible number in a non-VAR game. There have been plenty of substitutions but it still feels steep. The flag goes up for offside against Chiesa. Sorinalo can barely run at the back for Plymouth.
04:49 PM GMT
89 minutes: Plymouth 1 Liverpool 0
Tijani, to put it kindly, does not look the most mobile of centre-forwards. Every throw-in is being cheered to the rafters; Liverpool can’t score when the ball is off the pitch.
Plymouth goalkeeper Hazard is caught in no man’s land here though, coming for a long ball which Katic headed away. The ball dropped for McConnell around 22 yards out but the Liverpool youngster fired wide. Decent chance gone.
04:46 PM GMT
87 minutes: Plymouth 1 Liverpool 0
Liverpool have a corner after Taloverov’s sliding challenge which he celebrates with another fist pump before helping his team-mate Sorinola with some cramp. What a presence Taloverov has been at the back for Plymouth today, so dominant.
But Plymouth have a corner to defend... and Taloverov’s partner in crime Katic heads way. They have been brilliant.
04:44 PM GMT
86 minutes: Plymouth 1 Liverpool 0
Now Nunez flashes a shot wide from a tight angle. Liverpool have looked a little toothless for most of the game, but they are starting to rack up more efforts in the last five minutes or so. Can Plymouth hold on?
04:43 PM GMT
84 minutes: Plymouth 1 Liverpool 0
Plymouth can see the finish line now, and slowly but surely they are starting to retreat. Jota feeds a low cross right the way across the six-yard box which goes un-attacked by the Liverpool white shirts. Jota sends a quizzical look to Nunez.
04:42 PM GMT
83 minutes: Plymouth 1 Liverpool 0
Katic with another header clear, before Chiesa teases a really dangerous cross to the back post but Quansah could not get enough purchase on his attempt and it drifts harmlessly behind.
04:41 PM GMT
81 minutes: Plymouth 1 Liverpool 0
Another Plymouth sub: Obafemi replaces Hardie who is on course to be the match-winner. Plymouth’s defenders feel Nunez should have been penalised for a high boot, but Katic was on his toes again to clear a loose ball.
04:38 PM GMT
79 minutes: Plymouth 1 Liverpool 0
Liverpool head the Plymouth corner away, and once again Jota threatens on the counter, spinning down the right channel. He gets there first and is cleared out by Sorinola who collects a yellow card for his troubles.
04:37 PM GMT
77 minutes: Plymouth 1 Liverpool 0
For one of the first occasions in the match Plymouth are caught forward and Liverpool have the chance to counter-attack. Jota so sharp and powerful Plymouth cannot get close enough to even foul him. Jota tried to thread a through ball for Jota but Sorinola defended well on the corner.
Plymouth then go up the other end and win a corner from Puchacz’s deflected cross. The clock continues to tick down.
04:35 PM GMT
76 minutes: Plymouth 1 Liverpool 0
Taloverov and Katic have been outstanding at the back for Plymouth. Nyoni is coming off for Liverpool, replaced by Trent Kone-Doherty. Nyoni struggled to influence the game, he was crowded out in that No 10 space.
04:33 PM GMT
74 minutes: Plymouth 1 Liverpool 0
Liverpool’s best moment by some distance as a low cross finds its way to Diaz who looked to be striding onto the ball for a tap-in but Sorinola made a crucial block. Gyabi then sells himself, attracted to the ball, but Katic blocks McConnell’s shot. Is the tide turning?
04:32 PM GMT
72 minutes: Plymouth 1 Liverpool 0
Plymouth making a double sub: Bundu and Randell off, replaced by Boateng Tijani. “Adam Randell, he’s one of our own,” is the chant from the Plymouth fans for an academy player who was in the crowd for this fixture in 2017.
04:29 PM GMT
70 minutes: Plymouth 1 Liverpool 0
Bundu and Nyomi collide but it is the Plymouth man who is penalised and shown a yellow card. Plymouth continue to look quite comfortable though, Liverpool just have not found a way to stretch them or combine with any quality in the final third.
04:26 PM GMT
67 minutes: Plymouth 1 Liverpool 0
Victor Palsson has replaced Pleguezuelo at the back for Plymouth. Liverpool having more possession in the opposition half now, but it is all in front of the green shirts. Tsimikas then slices a cross behind for a goal kick.
04:24 PM GMT
65 minutes: Plymouth 1 Liverpool 0
There has not exactly been a stirring response to falling behind from Liverpool, nor has the Nunez substitution changed the pattern of the game. Fitness levels can be a key differentiator between the divisions though, so maybe Liverpool can start to turn the screw. Plymouth have also just lost one of their back three to injury: Pleguezuelo looks to have tweaked his groin.
04:21 PM GMT
61 minutes: Plymouth 1 Liverpool 0
Hardie goes close to doubling Plymouth’s lead and giving everyone a morning of ‘Kiss me Hardie’ headlines. He pounced on a knockdown in the box, and poked a shot towards the near corner but Kelleher saved with an outstretched leg. Big save by the Liverpool goalkeeper.
04:18 PM GMT
58 minutes: Plymouth 1 Liverpool 0
Mabaya - who replaced Joe Gomez in the first half - has now been substituted and replaced by Darwin Nunez. Slot has a quiet word with him as he walks past the Liverpool manager. McConnell back to right-back and Liverpool have an extra attacker on the pitch now.
04:16 PM GMT
What a day for Callum Wright
04:15 PM GMT
56 minutes: Plymouth 1 Liverpool 0
Now Plymouth have something to hold onto. They have not created a host of chances, but they deserve that lead. Plymouth have been the more purposeful team. Chiesa drags a shot wide of the far post from distance.
04:13 PM GMT
Hardie scores!
Kelleher has an excellent penalty record but Hardie sends him the wrong way, scoring to the goalkeeper’s right.
04:12 PM GMT
PENALTY PLYMOUTH!
There is no VAR in play, so this decision will stand. Once again, it was Gyabi on the end of a second ball in the box and he tried to flick the ball over Harvey Elliott’s head. The Liverpool attacker raised his arms above his head, and the ball struck him on the hand. He can have no complaints.
04:10 PM GMT
50 minutes: Plymouth 0 Liverpool 0
Desperately poor delivery from the Plymouth corner lets Liverpool off the hook. Mabaya has found things difficult since coming on at right-back for Liverpool and he runs the ball out of play on the far side.
04:08 PM GMT
48 minutes: Plymouth 0 Liverpool 0
Another classy touch from Puchacz for Plymouth. No great change in the pattern of the match since the restart. Slot will be tempted by Curtis Jones and Darwin Nunez on his bench.
Good effort at a curling shot from Wright for Plymouth and Endo heads over his own bar for a corner. The home crowd roar. Could have been an own goal.
04:04 PM GMT
We’re back under way in the second half
Plymouth mascot Pete the Pilgrim was entertaining the home fans at half-time.
No changes from either manager at the break.
03:52 PM GMT
Can Slot mastermind another second-half improvement?
Huge round of applause from the delighted Plymouth fans as the half-time whistle is blown. And understandably so. Their team has been excellent while Liverpool have barely threatened. Mustapha Bundu has been a handful and maybe Liverpool’s Kostas Tsimikas was fortunate not to concede a penalty as he grappled with the striker. He certainly had hold of Bundu’s shirt. Liverpool made 10 changes and lost captain Joe Gomez early on to injury but need to play far better than this.
03:50 PM GMT
HT: Plymouth 0 Liverpool 0
Excellent first 45 minutes from Plymouth, who have got this spot on physically and tactically. Liverpool have struggled to play through Plymouth’s front three into midfield, and when Slot’s team have gone longer the likes of Taloverov and Katic have won their battles. The only fault you could find in Plymouth’s display is not testing Kelleher enough. Slot made his choices with the team selection but will surely want more from his players.
03:46 PM GMT
45 minutes: Plymouth 0 Liverpool 0
A wry smile and chuckle from Chiesa as he fails to keep the ball in play to cheers from the Plymouth fans. It was a nice idea from Nyoni to spread the play out to the winger, but the pass was just overhit.
There will be three minutes of added time.
03:43 PM GMT
42 minutes: Plymouth 0 Liverpool 0
Not for the first time in this half, a loose ball falls for Plymouth midfielder Gyabi to hit but he fails to keep his knee over the bar and his shot flies over the bar. The home team have had some half chances. Mabaya has been booked for delaying the restart after kicking the ball away at a throw-in.
03:39 PM GMT
39 minutes: Plymouth 0 Liverpool 0
Plymouth having to work a little harder defensively now as Jota barrels his way into the box but Katic stepped across him and won the ball at the expense of a Liverpool corner. Offside flag goes up and Plymouth can clear their lines again.
03:37 PM GMT
37 minutes: Plymouth 0 Liverpool 0
Liverpool’s best moment as an attacking force: McConnell lets fly from around 25 yards and his effort took a deflection before bouncing in front of the Plymouth goalkeeper Hazard who palmed way.
03:35 PM GMT
35 minutes: Plymouth 0 Liverpool 0
Chiesa has been ineffective so far on Liverpool’s right. I think Bundo’s penalty appeal was hopeful more than anything, he never quite had the ball under control.
03:34 PM GMT
33 minutes: Plymouth 0 Liverpool 0
A lot of Plymouth’s best football involves Puchacz down the left, and the wing-back teases in a dangerous cross which Endo did well to head clear when he looked in danger of being caught underneath it. Bundo is then bundled over in the box but the referee says no penalty.
03:32 PM GMT
31 minutes: Plymouth 0 Liverpool 0
Bundo makes a nuisance of himself against Endo, and then Puchacz sees a shot blocked from around 30 yards. Plymouth have made this uncomfortable for Liverpool, who are very much in a game.
03:29 PM GMT
28 minutes: Plymouth 0 Liverpool 0
Possibly Liverpool’s longest spell of possession in the Plymouth half but the green shirts are banked up behind the ball in a line of five and then a line of four. The home team look pretty solid, suprisingly so given their shortage of clean sheets in the Championship this season.
03:26 PM GMT
25 minutes: Plymouth 0 Liverpool 0
Arne Slot is not enjoying this Liverpool performance so far. The head coach has cut an exasperated figure on the touchline as his team have yet to gain any control over their Championship opponents. The Argyle fans have picked up on this and, rather like the Nottingham Forest supporters, are serenading him with a chorus of “we’re in your head” to the tune of Zombie by The Cranberries.
03:23 PM GMT
22 minutes: Plymouth 0 Liverpool 0
Big cheers for Taloverov from the home fans, and the pony-tailed defender punches the air after winning a duel with Luis Diaz and earning Plymouth a goalkick. Qunasah then deals with a cross from the Plymouth left and Puchacz.
03:19 PM GMT
18 minutes: Plymouth 0 Liverpool 0
Nyoni arrives late into a challenge on halfway, and the Liverpool youngster is shown a yellow card. Feels a touch harsh of the 17-year-old. Lots of head tennis and 50:50s so far, which suits Plymouth just fine. Muslic will be happy with his team’s start.
03:16 PM GMT
15 minutes: Plymouth 0 Liverpool 0
Liverpool have not found their range of any rhythm in the final third as a yet. The game has stopped for another injury worry, with Plymouth defender Katic colliding with his own man Randell. The Plymouth centre-back looks as though he may have chipped or lost a tooth.
Ouch.... it looks like Argyle defender Nikola Katic has lost a tooth in a collision with team-mate Adam Randell. When manager Miron Muslic was told what had happened he laughed and broke out in a broad smile. Katic is back on.
03:14 PM GMT
Liverpool’s reshuffle after that Gomez injury
This is worrying as Joe Gomez - Liverpool’s captain for the day - has gone down injured. He did not look right from the kick-off and, in the opening seconds, pulled up from a sprint as he chased Argyle’s Mustapha Bundu. Gomez cannot carry on and is replaced by Isaac Mabaya, a 20-year-old defender. But it means that Wataru Endo has had to drop back into the centre of defence with Mabaya at right-back and James McConnell moving into midfield. It means Diogo Jota has taken over as Liverpool’s captain.
03:12 PM GMT
11 minutes: Plymouth 0 Liverpool 0
That is a bitter blow for Gomez, hopefully it is just a case of player and manager being precautionary. Still waiting to see whether Mabaya has gone to centre-back, or right-back with Quansah moving inside. It is a pretty lightweight back four, Plymouth will fancy their chances.
Kelleher palms a corner down, and Gyabi’s shot from the edge of the box is blocked.
03:10 PM GMT
10 minutes: Plymouth 0 Liverpool 0
This is a concern for Liverpool, even if Konate and Van Dijk have their feet up: Joe Gomez has gone down with an apparent muscular problem. Youngster Mabaya, capped for England at Under-19 level, is stripped and ready to replace him. Gomez looks pretty despondent, he has only just come back from a hamstring problem.
03:08 PM GMT
7 minutes: Plymouth 0 Liverpool 0
Gomez lost track of the ball in the sun I think and then mis-hit his clearance towards the edge of the box, but Liverpool get away with it. Randell then fouls Quansah, studs on the top of the foot. Not the best challenge.
03:05 PM GMT
4 minutes: Plymouth 0 Liverpool 0
Slot mentioned how direct Plymouth have been under Muslic, and the home team have started in that vein. Good defending from Gomez to win his battle on halfway. In Diaz, Jota, Chiesa and Elliott Liverpool still have oodles of attacking class which ought to prevail over the course of the game.
Plymouth are breaking at speed now though, but Kelleher does well to read Hardie’s low cross towards Wright.
03:03 PM GMT
2 minutes: Plymouth 0 Liverpool 0
Lively start from Plymouth with Wright and Hardie combining, but the latter’s shot was blocked. Pleguezuelo then sends a long throw into the Liverpool box which Tsimikas heads away. Plymouth beat Brentford on their own patch but match-winner Morgan Whittaker has since been sold to Middlesbrough.
03:01 PM GMT
KICK OFF!
The game is under way at a sunny Home Park.
03:00 PM GMT
Chiesa gets his chance
It feels like a particularly big game for Federico Chiesa in what is only his third start for Liverpool since his £10million signing from Juventus last summer. No-one doubts the Italian’s talent - and he is also very likeable as I found out when I interviewed him in September 2021 - but there is no doubt injuries have taken their toll which is why he was sold so relatively cheaply. Hopefully he can get back to being the player he was.
03:00 PM GMT
Slot’s calculated gamble
The fact that Arne Slot has made 10 changes from the side that took part Tottenham Hotspur last Thursday to reach the Carabao Cup Final - with only goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher retained - is a reflection of course of where Liverpool’s priorities lie.... with the little matter of the Merseyside derby away to Everton to come on Wednesday. Still it is a strong side that Slot has fielded - even if the likes of Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk are not even on the bench - and it would be a huge surprise if they go out of the FA Cup to Plymouth Argyle. It would also end any talk of that quadruple.
02:59 PM GMT
What Slot wants to see from his youngsters
It is good for the players who don’t usually play. The players who play so much once in a while need a normal week.
It’s going to be difficult to play your best football over here as it is an intense team. What I want from all of them is work-rate and winning second balls. What they need to show is fight.
All these games are tight so we know it is going to be tough. Even with our starters it would be a tough fixture. We have to play it like it’s the final otherwise it will be tough to get a result over here.
02:50 PM GMT
Harvey Elliott the senior statesman
I feel like I’m getting a bit old! Now there are 16-year-olds on our bench and hopefully they can come on and make a difference. The squad has not changed, but I feel this season we’re in a position where we can go for everything.
02:44 PM GMT
Pastywatch
It is eight years since I was last at Home Park and that, also, was for an FA Cup tie involving Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp’s side ran out 1-0 winners that night, in a third-round replay, with the Liverpool manager presented with a giant pasty after the game as a gift. Argyle were then sponsored by Ginsters. To say Klopp was unimpressed was an understatement as he left the pasty in the press room. Maybe it was the icing on it that put him off. He certainly did not know what a pasty was. The crestfallen Argyle staff told the journalists to “help themselves” although, to be honest, it did not look particularly appetising.
02:37 PM GMT
Plymouth head coach Muslic speaking before the game
Today is the most famous cup in the world, and we are playing against the best team in the world. I will try to enjoy this moment. We are an underdog, but we want to be a brave underdog. In terms of motivation, this is the easiest game to prepare as the lads want to play this game. With nothing to lose, but a lot to win.
02:23 PM GMT
The last time Liverpool came to Plymouth
They won 1-0 in an FA Cup third-round replay. Adam Randell, who has worn the captain’s armband for Plymouth in recent week, was in the crowd at Home Park. Plymouth had secured a highly creditable goalless draw at Anfield to earn the replay.
“I went to watch the away game with my dad. I watched the home game as well so I was lucky enough to have that experience. That was really enjoyable for me just to watch, so to now hopefully be able to play in it is a full-circle moment,” Randell told the Press Association.
“I would have been 16 or 17 around that time and every game I would watch, I remember wanting to be down on the pitch.
“You want to play against the best and compare yourself, so I definitely watched those games thinking I want to be down there and playing against them.
“We got the ticket through the academy at the time and I remember coming to the stadium, I think it was at 4am or something to travel up on the supporters’ coach on the day. I just remember being excited the whole way up and getting there seeing this massive stadium.
“The atmosphere on the day was brilliant and we managed to get the result and get the replay back at Home Park, which was massive for the club at the time.
“I remember Philippe Coutinho taking a corner down near me where I was sitting at the time and I was just amazed a player of his quality was here in front of me playing down at my local club.”
02:05 PM GMT
Plymouth team and subs
02:02 PM GMT
Liverpool team and subs
01:57 PM GMT
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01:54 PM GMT
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01:52 PM GMT
Arne Slot will surely seize a rare chance to rotate his team
At what stage do Liverpool fans start talking about the Q-word? They are heavily odds-on favourites to win the Premier League, odds-on favourites to win the League Cup final, favourites to win the Champions League and second-favourites to win the FA Cup behind Man City.
Probability being what it is, winning all four remains unlikely even if Liverpool have a strong chance in each competition in isolation. This afternoon they have the chance to reach the FA Cup fifth round, if they can see off Plymouth Argyle who have been more competitive since Wayne Rooney’s departure.
Wins are still in short supply for the team rooted to the bottom of the Championship, but they have avoided defeat in five of their last seven league matches including against Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion.
Plymouth head coach Miron Muslic said: “A beautiful challenge is in front of us. A day to enjoy for us as Argyle, for us as a club and organisation, a day to enjoy also for the Green Army and the fans.
“The best team in the world is coming, so it is a day we are very much looking forward to and want to enjoy.
“I can understand that the city is going crazy a little bit, the fans are going crazy a little bit and they are very much looking forward. I can also understand how the players are looking forward to realise how it is to be on the pitch and face a direct world-class opponent.”
Slot went strong for the League Cup semi-final second leg against Tottenham so, with a Premier League Merseyside derby looming on Wednesday, we can expect him to ring the changes for this one. Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah have been near ever-presents this season, and the only risk to Liverpool’s season appears to be losing one or both of them to fatigue-based injury.
Full team news on the way shortly.
