Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool record breakers spurned Plymouth chance as FA Cup shock eyed

Liverpool and Plymouth clashed doubly successful the FA Cup backmost successful 2017 with Jurgen Klopp picking a squad of youngsters astatine Anfield earlier the Pilgrims battled to a replay

It's been 63 years since Liverpool and Plymouth Argyle were successful the aforesaid league but they'll clash successful the FA Cup for the 3rd clip successful 8 years connected Sunday.

The Reds were drawn to look the Pilgrims backmost successful 2017, comparatively aboriginal into Jurgen Klopp's tenure, and battled to a replay aft securing a goalless gully astatine Anfield. This clip it is the Devon-based outfit who volition bask location vantage with the Premier League leaders heading to Home Park.

Liverpool stay successful the hunt for a big of honours this play and tin seizure a archetypal FA Cup since 2022. When they past took connected Plymouth successful this contention Klopp made history, fielding the youngster squad successful the club's existence.

The German manager had often utilized the aboriginal rounds of the FA Cup to springiness younger players a chance, particularly if they were taking connected teams from the little leagues. This was nary antithetic and the Anfield assemblage were introduced to the likes of Kevin Stewart, Ben Woodburn and Sheyi Ojo.

Even Trent Alexander-Arnold astatine right-back was lone 18. He's the lone 1 who went connected to go a household sanction with immoderate of the others uncovering themselves homes astatine Salford City and Maribor whilst 1 has already called clip connected his career.

Stewart made the aforesaid magnitude of palmy passes (53) arsenic the full Plymouth squad during the opening 45 minutes, underlining the host's dominance, adjacent with a squad whose mean property was conscionable 21 years and 296 days.

Lucas Leiva and Emre Can were the much elder statesman, but adjacent the second was lone 22. Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez are the lone players inactive astatine the nine with Klopp successful the midst of a large rebuild erstwhile they faced Plymouth.

On that juncture it was a 3rd circular encounter, present it volition beryllium successful the 4th circular aft Plymouth, presently successful the Championship relegation zone, shocked Premier League broadside Brentford past period to gain themselves this blockbuster tie.

Eight years agone it was a superior backs against the partition occupation needed to unafraid a replay. It whitethorn beryllium a akin concern this Sunday erstwhile they quadrate off. Klopp watched his broadside person 80 percent of the possession successful the first-half en way to 28 shots during the 90 minutes - though not 1 of them deed the target.

Klopp said afterwards: "We had a young broadside truthful that's difficult. We tin bash amended and if we bash amended past we person a bully accidental of making the adjacent round. With our different line-up it could beryllium imaginable that the effect was inactive the aforesaid - not likely, but possible. It was a bully acquisition for the boys."

Prior to Plymouth the past fourth-tier broadside to assertion a gully successful an FA Cup crippled astatine Anfield were Doncaster Rovers successful January 1974. Underlining their accomplishment connected that January day successful beforehand of astir 9,000 traveling fans.

This Sunday conscionable implicit 16,000 volition battalion into Home Park seeking an upset for the ages. In the past decennary lone erstwhile person Liverpool been undone by a squad from a little league successful the FA Cup, that being Wolves backmost successful 2017, conscionable weeks aft they bushed Plymouth successful a replay.

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