Plymouth Argyle produced a stunning FA Cup upset, knocking Liverpool out in the fourth round with a dramatic 1-0 victory at Home Park.
Despite sitting rock bottom of the Championship with just one league win in three months, the Pilgrims delivered a determined performance to topple the Premier League leaders, who were 44 places above them in the football pyramid.
The decisive moment came in the 53rd minute when Ryan Hardie stepped up to fire home a penalty after Harvey Elliott was penalized for handball.
With the lead secured, Plymouth threw everything into their defensive effort, producing a heroic display to shut out their elite opponents and claim their first victory over Liverpool since 1956.
Niola Katic emerged as one of the standout performers, anchoring Plymouth’s backline with a colossal defensive effort.
The center-back made numerous key clearances, refusing to back down even after losing a tooth in an early collision with a teammate.
Liverpool had entered the game with dreams of an unprecedented quadruple, but Arne Slot’s decision to rest several key players proved costly.
First-team regulars Alisson, Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, and Mohamed Salah were all given the afternoon off, while Slot made a total of 10 changes from the side that crushed Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-final just three days earlier.
An injury to Joe Gomez further disrupted Liverpool’s rhythm, leaving Darwin Núñez as the only experienced attacking option on the bench. As the game wore on, the visitors pushed desperately for an equalizer, forcing Plymouth fans to endure a nail-biting nine minutes of stoppage time.
Goalkeeper Connor Hazard was the hero in the dying moments, first pulling off a brilliant save to deny Diogo Jota’s long-range strike before producing another outstanding stop to keep out Núñez at the last second.
His heroics ensured Plymouth held on for a historic victory, securing one of the greatest FA Cup upsets in recent memory.