Arne Slot’s seamless succession to Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager has shown he is not only an outstanding coach but a fast learner – but he was given a harsh lesson in one of the game’s oldest rules on a wild afternoon in Devon.
Never play fast and loose with the grand old FA Cup.
The sight of Plymouth Argyle, bottom of the Championship, embarrassing Premier League leaders and the previously all-conquering Liverpool with this fourth-round victory was a compelling response to those who would to attempt to downgrade the magic and history of the competition.
And for Slot, it proved to be the first wrong move in a stellar start at Anfield, proof that you try to play tricks with the FA Cup at your peril.
Liverpool’s head coach will point, with some justification, to priorities elsewhere having reached the Carabao Cup final by sweeping Tottenham Hotspur aside on Thursday.
They also have the chance to cement their healthy lead in the Premier League against Everton in Goodison Park’s final Merseyside derby on Wednesday.
This cannot disguise the fact, however, that Slot and Liverpool got this wrong.
In making 10 changes here, Slot was guilty of taking the FA Cup and Plymouth Argyle lightly, the result being acute embarrassment.
Liverpool still had plenty of experience and quality in their line-up, perhaps enough to beat a struggling Championship side, with the international trio of Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa in attack.
This whole experience, though, was as much of a let-down for Slot’s team as it was a glorious one for Plymouth.
And those three forwards – Diaz, Jota and Chiesa – were particularly disappointing, playing as if the outing was a chore rather than a high-profile FA Cup tie.
Questions can also be asked elsewhere about Slot’s approach.
Slot did not even have the safety net of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch, Alex Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ibrahima Konate, Cody Gakpo and Andrew Robertson on the bench, just in case things went wrong for Liverpool.
As they did, quite spectacularly.
It all started badly when Joe Gomez, wearing the captain’s armband, was injured early on, replaced by 20-year-old Isaac Mabaya.
With the senior players struggling, it was even harder for youngsters such as Trey Nyoni to cope, Slot’s picks leading to a perfect storm that played right into Plymouth’s hands.
Liverpool, awful for the most part, did shake a leg late on but it was then that Plymouth found a hero in keeper Conor Hazard, who saved brilliantly from Jota and substitute Darwin Nunez.
It would be wrong and unfair to suggest Slot was not bothered about the FA Cup, but that teamsheet would not just have sent Plymouth’s spirits soaring when it landed on their dressing room table, it was a demonstration of where Liverpool’s priorities lie.
The decisive moment came after 52 minutes with Harvey Elliott’s handball, the penalty drilled home with venom by Ryan Hardie, who almost had a second shortly after when Liverpool keeper Caoimhin Kelleher turned his shot on to the post with his legs.
Plymouth, with only one win in three months but revitalised by charismatic new manager Miron Muslic, look like a team transformed following Wayne Rooney’s sacking.
The atmospheric Home Park was rocking, the ‘Green Army’ assembling hours before kick-off to provide the welcoming committee for Liverpool’s party as well as their own players.
And they provided a deafening backdrop in the closing stages as Hazard repelled Liverpool, defenders Nikola Katic and Maksym Talovierov erecting a formidable barrier in front of him.
The only sounds of concern came when the board went up signalling nine minutes of stoppage time, but this was Plymouth’s day – a day for the Pilgrims to march away from Home Park in triumph.
Katic will be making an appointment with the dentist after having a front tooth inadvertently knocked clean out by a team-mate in the first half, his manager beaming broadly when a member of his staff informed him of the damage.
It is the sort of sacrifice Muslic clearly wants in Plymouth’s pursuit of Championship survival – and now further FA Cup opportunities.
Slot was dignified in defeat, saying: “Great game from Plymouth. Good gameplan. They deserve all credit for the performance. We were not having a very good day and a result like this is the outcome.
“I think we are able to do better. Plymouth have a system and a way of playing where it is quite hard to create chances against them. They were really aggressive when we had the ball. We expected the players to play a better game than this but we have to give credit to Plymouth as well.
“It hurts everyone associated with Liverpool – fans, me and the players. We all wanted to be in the FA Cup and compete for as long as possible. It is a setback.”
Plymouth were the first side from outside of the top flight to eliminate the Premier League leaders since Wigan against Manchester City in February 2018.
And this was the first time Liverpool have been knocked out of the competition by a lower league opponent while leading the table since January 1984, against Brighton.
It shows giant-killing acts have been in shorter supply in the competition in recent years – but results like this, days like this, provide a glorious vindication for the FA Cup.
Leave a Reply