Plymouth Argyle pulled off a stunning FA Cup upset as they dumped Liverpool out of the competition on Sunday, but manager Miron Muslic was not going wild in the aftermath.
Ryan Hardie scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot in the 53rd minute after Reds midfielder Harvey Elliott handled the ball in the box.
It was a long time for the side bottom of the Championship to hang onto a narrow lead against the team top of the Premier League but they managed it admirably.
A much-changed Liverpool team did not feature the likes of Mo Salah, Cody Gapo, Dominik Szoboszlai, Trent Alexander-Arnold or Virgil van Dijk, but there was still plenty of quality in the team.
Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Federico Chiesa started the game as the front three, with Darwin Nunez coming off the bench, but none of those international stars could pick the Plymouth lock as the Pilgrims held on for an unforgettable victory.
Muslic was obviously delighted with the incredible victory but was not getting too carried away, saying Championship survival remains the main goal.
He was planning to treat himself to something of a post-match celebration, though, watching the game again with some nachos and a Fanta.
‘Normally I’m very good in my words and eloquent, but I’m a little bit speechless,’ the Plymouth boss said. ‘I’m very emotional because I realised the task and the opponent. It’s the biggest moment so far in my coaching career, no doubt, because it’s the FA Cup and Liverpool.
‘But the biggest moment will be staying up. This is my goal, this is what I have in my mind and my soul.
‘It’s a day for Argyle, a day for Plymouth, a day for the Green Army. They deserve it and I want them to give it their all.
‘I will go home and re-watch the game, eat some Nachos and drink a Fanta. It’s very boring for me.’
Liverpool boss Arne Slot said Plymouth’s ‘long ball’ style reminded him of Manchester United and proved difficult for his side to handle.
‘I think we’ve seen during this season, we’ve seen a few times already, that it’s a game plan, a playing style, which is difficult for our starters, but also for the ones that played today,’ said the Dutchman.
‘So, constantly long ball, second ball, long balls, second balls. It’s difficult for every team.
‘We had it with [Manchester] United at home for example as well. They had a similar playing style going to a very low block [then] kick every ball long, and then we played with our starters.’
Plymouth now await the draw for the fifth round of the FA Cup on Monday night but will be afraid of no team after beating Brentford in the third and Liverpool in the fourth rounds.
They are also swiftly back into Championship action as they host Millwall on Wednesday night, hoping to drag themselves off the foot of the table.
Plymouth’s win over Liverpool is scarcely believable when you look at the Championship table which shows them 24th, with 25 points from 30 games and a goal difference of -34, conceding 63 goals.
No comments:
Post a Comment