Liverpool’s FA Cup journey ended prematurely on Sunday with a surprising 1-0 defeat to Plymouth Argyle, a team languishing at the bottom of the Championship.

The only goal of the match came in the 53rd minute when Ryan Hardie converted a penalty awarded for a handball by Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott.

“CHAMPIONSHIP SIDE PLYMOUTH ARGYLE TAKE THE LEAD FROM THE SPOT OVER PREMIER LEAGUE LEADERS LIVERPOOL!” (ESPN FC)

Despite dominating possession with 75%, Liverpool struggled to create meaningful chances, registering only four shots in the first 70 minutes and managing just three on target throughout the match.

Manager Arne Slot fielded a heavily rotated squad following a convincing 4-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday, leading to mixed results with only goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher retaining his spot from the previous game.

Plymouth, having had a dismal season with only five wins in 30 league games and a -34 goal differential, showed improvement under new management which replaced ex-England international Wayne Rooney after sacking him in December. Their morale has been lifted, now unbeaten in their last three matches with two victories across all competitions.