Liverpool suffered a shocking FA Cup exit on Sunday in a 1-0 defeat to Championship strugglers Plymouth, whereas Aston Villa inflicted one other damaging 2-1 defeat on Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou. Arne Slot’s resolution to discipline a weakened workforce got here again to hang-out him, with Ryan Hardie’s second-half penalty sealing Plymouth’s epic upset and ending Liverpool’s quest for a quadruple at Home Park. Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Andrew Robertson and Cody Gakpo have been among the many stars rested as Slot made 10 modifications from the workforce that thrashed Tottenham 4-0 within the League Cup semi-final second leg on Thursday.
In a remarkably profitable first season in command of the Reds, it was a uncommon blunder by the previous Feyenoord boss.
It was solely the fourth time {that a} workforce prime of the Premier League had been eradicated from the FA Cup by a decrease division membership.
“We weren’t having an excellent day. A end result like that is the result,” Slot stated.
Masterminding a well-known victory over Liverpool whereas combating to haul Plymouth off the underside of the Championship was no hardship for Argyle supervisor Miron Muslic, who was a refugee from war-torn Bosnia as a baby.
Muslic — employed by Plymouth to interchange the sacked Wayne Rooney in January — was pressured to maneuver to Austria aged 9 after escaping his residence city of Bihac after it fell underneath siege by Serbian forces in 1992.
Plymouth had already crushed Premier League facet Brentford within the third spherical, however their victory in opposition to West Brom final weekend was their first within the league since November.
“I’m speechless, and usually they inform me I’m eloquent! It’s a giant day for us,” stated Muslic. “It’s a magical day. I informed the lads within the locker room to get pleasure from it.”
In the circumstances, Plymouth’s excellent efficiency will rank as one of many FA Cup’s best giant-killings.
Slot wore an exasperated expression that summed up Liverpool’s lethargy even earlier than Darko Gyabi’s overhead kick was blocked by Harvey Elliott’s raised arm within the 54th minute.
It was a transparent penalty and Hardie saved his composure to ship Caoimhin Kelleher the improper approach from the spot.Â
Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez have been denied by tremendous saves from Conor Hazard in stoppage-time as Home Park erupted in celebration of an astonishing end result.
Pressure mounts on Postecoglou
Fresh from their thrashing at Anfield to exit the League Cup on Thursday, one other probability at ending Spurs’ lengthy watch for silverware went awry for the under-fire Postecoglou.
The writing was on the wall for the guests after only one minute when goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky let Jacob Ramsey’s shot via his grasp.
Son Heung-min missed an enormous probability to stage for an injury-ravaged Tottenham when he was denied by Emiliano Martinez earlier than half-time.
Morgan Rogers sealed Spurs’ destiny when he blasted in from shut vary 25 minutes from time.
Villa might then afford the luxurious of introducing Marcus Rashford for his first look since finishing a mortgage transfer from Manchester United.
But it was one other January signing who made a powerful influence off the bench as Mathys Tel produced a deft end for his first Tottenham purpose in stoppage time.
The comfort was too little, too late for Spurs on the evening and probably for Postecoglou to carry onto his job.
Without a trophy since 2008, Tottenham sit 14th within the Premier League and now have solely Europa League glory to play for this season.
“Nothing actually modifications,” stated Postecoglou on his future.
“There’ll be a possibility to get well now and get some gamers again over the following couple of weeks. We stay up for resetting and ending the season robust.”
Wolves cruised into the fifth spherical as two objectives within the house of 39 seconds from Joao Gomes and Matheus Cunha sealed a 2-0 win at second-tier Blackburn.
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