What makes the FA Cup so interesting is the fact that it favours the underdog. It is a competition which is played on every level of the English football pyramid, and everyone gets a go. Sometimes, underdogs take their chances and slay one of the giants. This is precisely what happened in the fourth round of the FA Cup when Liverpool travelled to face Plymouth Argyle on February 9th, 2025.
As it is usually the case, when Premier League clubs face teams from lower divisions they’re clear cut favorites to win. Now that the season has ended in a way for both Plymouth Argyle and Liverpool, we can say that in February during their FA Cup duel faced off the Premier League winner and a team that got relegated from Championship. While we’re talking in hindsight, it was evident even back in February that Plymouth was going down, while Liverpool was marching for the title. Yet, it all mattered little in the FA Cup duel.
Prior to the game, there was little need to look at England FA Cup predictions and tips, at least as far as this match was concerned. Liverpool were heavy favorites and odds on their win were set at 1.17, a draw was 8.00, while Plymouth’s win paid with 13.00. The matter of fact was that Liverpool clearly underestimated the downward spiraling Plymouth Argyle. Arne Slot took out a mixed team that had very few first team members playing on the day.
Kelleher was in goal, while the back four consisted of Gomez, Quansah, Endo, and Tsimikas. These four haven’t played a game together before the FA Cup bout nor after it. The Reds also had plenty of inexperience in the midfield where their starting holding positions were taken by youngsters Nyoni and McConnell. Upfront, Liverpool had Elliott, Diaz, Chiesa, and Diogo Jota. While each of the forwards bar the Italian had substantial minutes throughout the year, they also haven’t played together too much over the course of the season. Three substitutes that took on the field later on were Mabaya and Doherty, also youngsters, and Darwin Nunez. Neither managed to make an impact.
On the other side we had Plymouth Argyle walking out with their best eleven on the day. Wright, Bundu, and Hardy led the attack, with Sorinola, Randell, Gyabi, and Puchacz playing behind them. At the back, Argyle had Katic, Talovierov, and Pleguezuelo with Hazard on goal. Obafemio, Boateng, Palsson, and Tijani took their duties from the bench. As you can see from the get-go both teams had a different approach to the age which eventually backfired on Liverpool.
What Went Wrong For Liverpool in 2024/25 FA Cup
Well, for one, they’ve lost. It is not rare to see a PL giant fall out of the FA Cup early on, but what happened to the Reds was one of the bigger surprises in recent memory. One could argue that the defeat is a direct consequence of Arne Slot’s decision to rest his starters. When you take a look at the team that has defeated Tottenham in the Carabao Cup only a few days earlier, the Dutch coach made 10 substitutes. It was a present Plymouth accepted with open arms and advanced to the fifth round after a 1:0 win.
For the most part it was not a night of interesting football at Home Park. Instead we had a lot of breaks, scrappy duels, and delays by the home team. The game became lively eight minutes after the half time when the home team was awarded a penalty that Ryan Hardie scored after the referee deemed Harvey Elliott’s handball as a penalty. It didn’t take too long for Hardie to enter another goal scoring opportunity that ended up on the post after an intervention by Caoimhin Kelleher.
After the Plymouth lead, Liverpool started to control the game, and in addition to possession they’ve also created a few opportunities that could have been goals. But, it was Hazard with late heroics and stops to a strike from Diogo Jota and a header from Darwin Nunez. Players that Liverpool fielded on February 9th, tried their best on the night, it just wasn’t enough to defeat the cagey hosts.
The Home Advantage in the FA Cup
If you talk to fans of this competition all of them will argue that the atmosphere hits differently at cup games than they do in the league, especially if a Premier League team is visiting a team down in the divisions. This is something you need to take into account the next time you decide to enjoy some FA Cup betting, and it’s something that was proven in Plymouth when Liverpool played there in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Throughout the entire game, the Home Park was deafening from fans’ roars, and it was elevated even higher when the referee blew the final whistle. While Liverpool won the title this season, and Plymouth got relegated this is a victory that will resonate in Devon in years to come. While Plymouth didn’t reach too far afterward, this win was a great introduction to Plymouth Argyle new manager Muslic, who took over after Wayne Rooney who had the team playing an awful kind of football, and didn’t have the best rapport with fans despite his legendary status in England.
From the start of the game Plymouth went in for blood. It was evident from their players and fans that an opportunity was in the air from the moment the team sheets landed. From the absence of Mo Salah and Virgil Van Dijk it was clear that Liverpool didn’t bring firepower and that the home team was underestimated from the get-go. When you do this in the FA Cup, it usually backfires and it did this time too. Green Army was nervous throughout the game but singing and chanting never stopped even for a second.
Despite playing with a weakened side, you could argue that even Liverpool’s bench players had more than enough quality to defeat a sinking Championship side. Plymouth knew this, and they gave their fans and the Reds a trench fight with a lot of scrappy duels, hard tackling, long balls, and constant interruptions of the game. A game with few to none chances was decided with a penalty kick converted by Hardie, and a slew of late interventions by Hazard that put an end to any Liverpool attempt of a comeback.
Arne Slot’s Lesson in What Not to Do in FA Cup
Slot has an amazing start to his Liverpool career, and at one point it appeared that Liverpool are even candidates for a quadruple. That dream was shattered in Plymouth. It was not an easy task to replace Jurgen Klopp, and Slot filled his shoes admirably, but loss to the Pilgrims is all on him. Later on, he lost the Carabao Cup final in the hands of Newcastle, showing that maybe the defeat to Plymouth has a lot to do with his management of cup ties.
Of course, if he had won this FA Cup tie, he would be touted as a genius who rested his starters and won nonetheless, but a pesky Plymouth team had other ideas. Only a few days prior, Liverpool won against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-final 4:0 but only Kelleher was left on the field for the FA Cup compared to the team that demolished the Spurs. The worst idea was not to bring Salah to Devon, who could definitely make a difference even as a late substitute. Slot deemed that it was not necessary as he has brought the likes of Luis Diaz, Jota and Federico Chiesa with him, while Elliott, Wataru Endo and Kostas Tsimikas are also quality players far surpassing anything any Championship side had to offer. Yet, they were not enough.
No Liverpool player rose to the occasion, and they fell under the pressure of the hostile home crowd at the Home Park. The majority of stadiums in England have deep tradition and long history, and all of it comes forth during FA Cup duels. The Plymouth Argyle team and supporters have shown Liverpool everything the FA Cup is all about, giving them more than a simple football lesson.
Liverpool’s History in the FA Cup
Despite an unfortunate defeat to Plymouth Argyle in this year’s edition of the FA Cup, Liverpool still remains one of the most successful teams in the competition. So far, they’ve lifted the trophy eight times. Only two successful teams are Arsenal with 14 and Manchester United with 12 wins. The Reds started their history in the cup way back in 1964/65 when they won it for the first time with a win against Leeds 2:1.
Liverpool had to wait almost a decade for another trophy and it happened in 1973/74 when they took another home after defeating Newcastle United 3:0. After another decade of wait, the Reds went on a hot streak in late 80s and 90s, as they won the cup three times within a ten year span lifting the trophy in 1985/86 with an 3:1 win in a Merseyside derby, another one in 88/89 winning another one against Everton 3:2, and finally 91/92 and a safe win vs. Sunderland 2:0.
As we’re sued from the Reds another decade of wait ensued, and Liverpool fans had to wait up until 2000/01 to win another one, but it was worth the wait. It was one of the most memorable finals in the FA Cup history which Liverpool won against Arsenal 2:1 with two late goals from legendary Michael Owen. After that, Liverpool followed it up with a thrilling penalty win vs. West Ham after regulation ended with a 3:3 draw.
Unfortunately for Liverpool fans, the wait for another FA Cup was even longer this time around as they had to wait until 2021/22 to have the Reds lift the trophy vs. Chelsea 6:5 on penalties after a dull 0:0 draw. In addition to eight wins, Liverpool also managed to lose seven finals, showing that the final of this cup competition is one of the most unpredictable ones. Considering that we’re about to have another final in a matter of one week or so, let’s take a look at what awaits us in the 2024/25 FA Cup final.
Manchester City vs. Crystal Palace
Interestingly enough it was Pep Guardiola’s side who ended Plymouth’s FA Cup fairytale. While not having the best season overall, Pep is once again having his side battling for silverware. On the route to the final, City has won games against the likes of Salford City, Leyton Orient, Plymouth Argyle, Bournemouth, and Nottingham Forest. The early season struggles are behind City, and after January transfer deals, they’re now playing much better, and are entering the FA Cup final with four consecutive wins, and with a duel vs. Southampton ahead of them.
Crystal Palace is another team fighting for this year’s FA Cup and they have secured their spot in the final after a string of dominant performances at the turn of the year. The Eagles won against the likes of Stockport County, Doncaster Rovers, Millwall, Fulham, and Aston Villa only conceding a goal in the process. Oliver Glasner has his team prepped for cup ties, and they’ve proven as much this season.
Manchester City has previously won six iterations of the FA Cup, while this would be the first time for Crystal Palace after coming close some decade ago before losing to Manchester United. It will be an interesting duel for sure, as it will be a clash of philosophies with Pep’s possession based football, and Glasner’s counter attacking relying on clinical finishing from Sarr, Mateta, and Eze. Yes, this final will not be featuring Liverpool, but it is a good opportunity to close out the year with yet another cup final, and for Slot to learn the lessons he failed this season, in order to compete for this title next year.
