Liverpool suffered a humiliating FA Cup exit at the hands of Plymouth Argyle, with manager Arne Slot under fire for his team selection in what became one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.
The Premier League leaders were stunned by the Championship’s bottom club, who pulled off a historic giant-killing thanks to a Ryan Hardie penalty at Home Park.
Slot made 10 changes from the side that dominated Tottenham 4-0 in the Carabao Cup semi-final, leaving only goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher in the starting lineup.
While the XI still included top talents like Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota, the bench lacked firepower, with Darwin Nunez the only big name among the substitutes.
Superstars Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Dominik Szoboszlai were completely absent, given extra rest ahead of Wednesday’s Merseyside derby against Everton. But as the match progressed and Liverpool struggled to break down Plymouth’s resolute defense, the lack of experienced reinforcements proved costly.
Former Liverpool youth player Craig Hignett criticized Slot’s approach on BBC Radio Merseyside:
“When you make that many changes, you risk a disjointed performance, and that’s exactly what happened. These players are talented enough, but having more senior options on the bench could have made a difference. It was his choice not to bring Salah or Gakpo, and as a manager, you live and die by your decisions.”
Despite their struggles, Liverpool had no answer for Plymouth’s determined defense and ultimately suffered just their fourth defeat of the season across all competitions.
Slot will now have no choice but to field a much stronger lineup against Everton, knowing that a win at Goodison Park could extend Liverpool’s lead at the top of the Premier League to nine points.