Ryan Hardie wrote his name into Plymouth Argyle folklore with a second-half penalty that beat Liverpool and sprung the shock of the Emirates FA Cup fourth round.
Hardie converted the spot-kick after the referee gave handball against Harvey Elliott from Darko Gyabi’s flick, in what proved to be the only goal of the game.
Liverpool, who are already in the Carabao Cup final and lead the Premier League, struggled to create opportunities at Home Park and this defeat ends their shot at winning an unlikely quadruple.
The Pilgrims, bottom of the Championship and 43 places below Liverpool in the football pyramid, have conceded a league-high 63 goals in the second tier this season but their defence was watertight, and they will be in the fifth round draw for the first time in 18 years.
After a dull first half, the game came to life after Hardie’s penalty. Liverpool were stunned and Plymouth, with the wind in their sails, almost scored a second when Hardie fired at goal from inside the box, and Caoimhin Kelleher turned it onto the post.
With the likes of Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Federico Chiesa in attack, Liverpool had plenty of firepower but were unable to break Plymouth down.
They almost snatched an equaliser with two minutes to go when a mix-up in the Argyle defence saw a loose ball bounce to James McConnell but, with half of the goal open, he sliced an effort wide.
A hero and his son 💚
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) February 9, 2025
What a day for @Ryanhardie9 #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/sVjHh5Wc8w
There was an excruciating nine minutes of added time for Plymouth to survive in the face of relentless Liverpool pressure, but goalkeeper Conor Hazard made two excellent saves – first by flying to his right to keep out a fizzing Jota volley, before palming a Darwin Nunez header over the bar from point-blank range.
The win marks just the fourth time in FA Cup history that the leaders of the Premier League have been knocked out by a team outside the top flight.
“We all came here today with a dream, and that was to get through to the next round. And we have done it, I don’t know what to say,” Hardie said.
“I just wanted to hit the ball into the net. There was a lot of pressure but I have had a lot of practice, I have practiced a lot in the last few days.
“I teared up in the warm-up seeing my son as the mascot. I asked him what the score would be and he said 10-0. One will do.”
Meanwhile, two goals in 100 seconds proved decisive as Wolverhampton Wanderers knocked out Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.
The two clubs last met in the FA Cup in the 1960 final, won 3-0 by the Midlands side, but only Wolves can dream of Wembley this year.
Nélson Semedo deserves credit for this first-time assist for Matheus Cunha's goal for @Wolves 👏#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/KAtD5YnxZT
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) February 9, 2025
Dominic Hyam thought he had put Rovers into an early lead when he headed past Sam Johnstone, but was pained to see the assistant referee flag for offside. And Wolves took advantage with two first-half goals shortly after the half-hour mark.
Joao Gomes beat Rovers goalkeeper Balazs Toth with a low shot after Wolves’ high press caught Rovers out, before Matheus Cunha side-footed into the corner from a Nelson Semedo's pass shortly after.
Wolves lost to Coventry City in the quarter-finals last season and are just one win away from consecutive last-eight appearances.
Aston Villa booked their place in the next round with a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park.
Jacob Ramsey put Villa ahead inside two minutes before Morgan Rogers turned from provider to score to double the lead midway through the second half.
Mathys Tel pulled one back for Spurs in additional time but it was not enough to prevent Ange Postecoglou's men from exiting the competition.
