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Liverpool has been paired with Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup fourth round, the first meeting between the clubs in eight years.
The Reds last met the Championship side in the 2015 FA Cup third round, when Plymouth were then in League Two. Jurgen Klopp made history when the Pilgrims came to Anfield as he named the youngest-ever Liverpool side – although that has since been beaten. Current Reds Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez were part of that side which also featured youngsters Ovie Ejaria, Kevin Stewart, Sheyi Ojo and Ben Woodburn.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Plymouth earned a draw which meant Klopp and his side faced the near 600-mile round trip to Home Park in a replay. That match was rather forgettable even if a rare Lucas Leiva goal did see Liverpool into the next stage of the competition, but Klopp will surely remember the match for a bizarre experience in the post-match press conference.
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The German was interrupted midway through an answer and was presented with a giant Cornish pasty from Plymouth’s sponsors Ginsters. The pastry was adorned with the message: Jurgen Klopp, 293 miles, Liverpool to Plymouth.
Whether the giant pasty made its way back with the team to Merseyside is unclear, and Klopp joked he was ‘not eating carbohydrates’ as he posed for a picture. Arne Slot is unlikely to be presented with a similar feast next month, especially given Ginsters no longer sponsor the club. But he’ll hope for a more straightforward task than his predecessor made of dispatching Plymouth.
The south-coast side are rooted to the bottom of the Championship and has won just four league matches all season, in contrast to high-flying Liverpool who has been beaten just twice this term.
The giant pasty given the Liverpool team at Plymouth.
Therefore, it was a huge surprise when Plymouth eliminated Brentford in the third round to set up the Liverpool encounter. The reds dispatched Accrington Stanley 4-0 on Saturday and added another fixture to an already jam-packed calendar.
The cup tie will be played between 7 and 10 February, with Liverpool facing seven matches before then. Slot’s side faces Nottingham Forest, Brentford, Ipswich Town and Bournemouth in the Premier League, along with Champions League matches against Lille and PSV Eindhoven. There’s also the Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg meeting with Tottenham Hotspur, which will be played just a few days before Liverpool’s trip to Plymouth.