Plymouth Argyle 1-0 Liverpool FC: FLW reports as Pilgrims pull off stunning FA Cup upset | OneFootball

Championship bottom club Plymouth Argyle hosted Premier League leaders Liverpool in a glamorous FA Cup tie in Devon.

Plymouth Argyle beat Liverpool 1-0 in an incredible upset at Home Park, as Miron Muslic's side downed the club that are top of the Premier League.

Plymouth's only goal came from the penalty spot in the second half as Harvey Elliott handled the ball in the box - Ryan Hardie stepped up and sent Kelleher the wrong way, giving the Championship side the lead.

Things got frantic for the Premier League leaders in the last ten minutes, as they looked to avoid an embarrassing end to their FA Cup campaign, with a huge chance for Diogo Jota well-saved by Conor Hazard late on.

The Argyle keeper produced another magical save in the eighth minute of stoppage time from Darwin Nunez, which won his side the game and put them into the last 16 of the FA Cup.

Plymouth Argyle 1–0 Liverpool

First Half

Argyle got the contest underway in front of an incredible Home Park atmosphere. The home supporters belted out the famous "Janner" song, as their team looked to pull off a special upset.

Caoimhin Kelleher was forced to make his first save just five minutes in. Ryan Hardie burst past Joe Gomez and looked to find Callum Wright in the box, but his low cross was collected by the Irish keeper before the onrushing number 11 could get there.

Slot was forced into his first change early on, as Gomez picked up an injury which required a lengthy spell of treatment. The Liverpool captain was eventually withdrawn and Isaac Mabaya took his place for his Reds debut.

Another injury came just minutes later, but for the hosts this time. Nikola Katic was left bleeding from the mouth after a collision, and it looked like he'd knocked one of his front teeth out. However, the Bosnian was able to continue after some patching up from the Plymouth medics.

It'd been a very even half in the opening 30 minutes, as both sides settled into the game well. The Championship club has positive moments through Matthew Sorinola on the right, whilst Liverpool's big hitters such as Luis Diaz struggled to make an impact on the game.

There were massive shouts for a penalty from the home crowd as Mustapha Bundu pounced on an error by Kostas Tsimikas. The forward picked up a loose touch from the defender and burst towards goal. Tsimikas brought Bundu to the ground before he could pull the trigger, but was deemed to have won the ball.

It took the Premier League leaders 36 minutes to test Hazard, which summed up how they'd performed thus far. McConnell found space and unleashed a shot from outside the box which took a deflection, forcing Hazard to get down low to prevent the shot trickling in.

On the stroke of half-time, Home Park was almost sent into raptures by Darko Gyabi. The ball fell kindly on the edge of the box to the Leeds United loanee, whose eye lit up. However, he smashed his first-time shot over Kelleher's bar and into the travelling fans.

After three minutes of stoppage time, referee, Samuel Barrott, had seen enough for the first half. It was a very impressive showing from Argyle, who had the better chances and were more than deserving to be going into the dressing rooms level.

As for the visitors, they struggled to fashion any clear-cut opportunities, which would've been frustrating for Arne Slot, as they had more than enough quality on the pitch to outclass their opponents.

Second Half

Both sides emerged for the second period unchanged, apart from the earlier substitution of Mabaya for Gomez. If neither side found a winner in the next 45 minutes, extra time would be required to settle the contest.

Argyle had an excellent chance to grab the lead five minutes after half-time. Bundu sent Wright away on the left-hand side, which got the crowd roaring. He cut inside, beating Mabaya, and tried to curl in a shot to the far corner. However, a vital intervention from Wataru Endo took the strike over the crossbar.

Then it came, Argyle's moment. An overhead kick from Gyabi was almost caught by Harvey Elliott in the box, and Barrott pointed to the spot. Up stepped Hardie, sending Kelleher the wrong way. Home Park went into absolute bedlam as the bottom side in the Championship were leading the Premier League leaders.

In response to going behind, Slot dragged Mabaya off, who'd only been introduced in the first-half. Darwin Núñez made his entrance to the contest, not receiving the warmest of welcomes from the home fans.

Things almost got even better for Plymouth when Hardie hit the post. A deep free-kick was headed back across goal by Katic, which fell to the number nine's feet. His shot cannoned off Kelleher's near post, which would've caused Slot an even bigger headache.

Victor Palsson, Muhamed Tijani, and Malachi Boateng were all introduced in quick succession, as Argyle had just 20 minutes standing between them and a historic cup upset.

It was bodies on the line for the Pilgrims, as both Makysm Talovierov and Katic produced vital blocks to keep Liverpool at bay. With 15 minutes remaining, the belief was setting in that the Greens could actually pull the upset off.

With ten minutes left, the cup hero Hardie was withdrawn to a rapturous reception from his supporters. The atmosphere inside the ground was immense, as the clock continued to tick down, and Argyle edged closer to a historic result. Every single block, clearance, save, and turnover in Plymouth's favour was celebrated like a goal.

You got the feeling that it simply wasn't going to be Liverpool's day as the clock edged closer and closer to 90. A mix-up between Hazard and Katic almost cost Argyle, as the ball fell to James McConnell, who had virtually an open net. Somehow, the young midfielder dragged his shot wide.

The fourth official held up the board to indicate nine added minutes, which would feel like nine years for the home supporters.

In the second added minute, Hazard produced a stunning save to deny Diogo Jota. The Portuguese international hammered a volley goalward from a deflection, which the Plymouth stopper was equal to, producing cat-like reflexes to stop the ball hitting the net.

Hazard then once again saved his side, tipping an effort from close range over the bar and out for a corner. The resulting corner was met by Kelleher, but Hazard held the ball in his clutches. This save was celebrated like a goal at the other end, as the home fans knew what it meant.

The keeper smashed the ball up the pitch, and Barrott blew his whistle to end the contest, Plymouth Argyle had knocked out Liverpool. It was an incredible result, and the Pilgrims had done the impossible. The scenes at full-time were full of emotion, as the Championship's bottom side beat the Premier League leaders.

Plymouth Argyle player ratings

C. Hazard - 8

M. Sorinola - 7

M. Talovierov - 9

N. Katic - 9

J. Pleguezuelo - 6 (V. Palsson 67'(6))

T. Puchacz - 7

D. Gyabi - 7

A. Randell - 6 (M. Boateng 72'(6))

C. Wright - 7

M. Bundu - 8 (M. Tijani 72'(6))

R. Hardie - 8 (M. Obafemi 82'(6))

Unused substitutes: D. Grimshaw, B. Mumba, J. Houghton, R. Al Hajj, M. Baidoo

Liverpool player ratings

C. Kelleher - 6

J. Gomez - N/A (I. Mabaya 11' (4) (D. Nunez 58'(6)))

W. Endo - 6

J. Quansah - 6

K. Tsimikas - 5

T. Nyoni - 5 (T. Kone-Doherty 75'(6))

J. McConnell - 6

F. Chiesa - 5

H. Elliott - 4

L. Diaz - 6

D. Jota - 6

Unused substitutes: V. Jaros, C. Jones, A. Nallo, J. Norris, R. Young

Match attendance

There were 17,724 fans present for the exciting FA Cup fixture on Sunday lunchtime, with 2592 making the long trip down from Liverpool.

Miron Muslic reacts to historic Plymouth Argyle cup upset

Speaking to the press after his side's historic win over Liverpool, Plymouth boss Miron Muslic said: "Normally I'm very good, very eloquent with my words, but I'm speechless.

"I realised the task, the opponent, it's the FA Cup, it's the biggest cup in the world and we played Liverpool. We just wanted to represent Argyle in the best way possible. That was the game plan.

"We had to be structured, organised, brave and full of intensity to show ourselves to use this huge stage as an opportunity for the players to shine, and I think the lads did outstanding."

Arne Slot reacts to Liverpool's FA Cup embarrassment

Liverpool manager Arne Slot was frustrated with his side's performance, saying: "The result is obviously a big disappointment and the way we played wasn't a lot to be happy about either.

"The only thing I was happy about was the boys kept on fighting for 100 minutes, and probably the best part of our game was the last ten minutes.

"Credit to them [Plymouth], [they had a] good game plan, worked incredibly hard and got a penalty that was deserved, it was a clear penalty, correct decision."