Quadruple chance for Reds sunk by Pilgrims in FA Cup

Plymouth produced a huge FA Cup upset as Premier League leaders Liverpool were knocked out by the bottom club in the Championship to end hopes of a historic quadruple.

- PHIL BLANCHE

Liverpool boss Arne Slot gambled with a weakened side in Devon and literally paid the penalty as Ryan Hardie’s secondhalf spot-kick gave Plymouth a famous 1-0 win and sent them into the fifth round of the competition.

It was only the fourth time that the team starting the day at the top of the Premier League has been eliminated from the FA Cup by a side from outside the top flight. So Liverpool’s quadruple hopes are over and Slot’s team selection will be a hot topic of discussion in the coming days.

Hardie said he simplified his thought process for the winning spot kick: “Kick the ball in the net and it’s one-nil, there’s a lot of pressure, I had a lot of practice, it’s picking your side and committing to it.”

Argyle midfielder Callum Wright, born in Merseyside and a Liverpool fan, added: “I was starting to get nervous, but we kept the lead, it’s insane, a dream come true to play them and beat them, I’ll remember it forever.”