Giant-killers Plymouth dump Liverpool out of FA Cup

Plymouth produced a huge FA Cup upset as Premier League leaders Liverpool were knocked out by the bottom club in the Sky Bet Championship.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot gambled with a weakened side in Devon and literally paid the penalty as Ryan Hardie's second-half spot-kick gave Plymouth a famous 1-0 win and sent them into the fifth round of the competition.

It was only the fourth time that the team starting the day at the top of the Premier League has been eliminated from the FA Cup by a side from outside the top flight.

So Liverpool's quadruple hopes are over and Slot's team selection will be a hot topic of discussion in the coming days.

Plymouth have kept only two clean sheets in the Championship, but Ukrainian defender Maksym Talovyerov - who celebrated almost every clearance as though it was a goal - was a colossus at the heart of their defence.

Pilgrims boss Miron Muslic had hailed Liverpool as the "best team in the world", but only Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher remained from the side that thrashed Tottenham on Thursday to book a Wembley date in the Carabao Cup.

Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister were among those given the day off.

Diogo Jota, Federico Chiesa and Luis Diaz ensured there was still plenty of firepower against opponents with the worst defensive record in the top four tiers of English football.

FULL MATCH DETAILS

The match also saw Ireland Under-19 international Trent Kone-Doherty make his Liverpool first-team debut, coming on as a 76th minute substitute.

Sunday's involvement for the 18-year-old, who joined the Reds from hometown club Derry City two-and-a-half years ago, followed his maiden involvement in a first-team squad when he was named on the bench for the Champions