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Plymouth Argyle flush out Liverpool from FA Cup
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Plymouth produced a huge FA Cup upset as Premier League leaders Liverpool were knocked out by the bottom club in the Sky Bet Championship.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot gambled with a weakened side in Devon and literally paid the penalty as Ryan Hardie’s second-half spot-kick gave Plymouth a famous 1-0 win and sent them into the fifth round of the competition.
It was only the fourth time that the team starting the day at the top of the Premier League has been eliminated from the FA Cup by a side from outside the top flight.
So Liverpool’s quadruple hopes are over and Slot’s team selection will be a hot topic of discussion in the coming days.
Plymouth have kept only two clean sheets in the Championship, but Ukrainian defender Maksym Talovyerov – who celebrated almost every clearance as though it was a goal – was a colossus at the heart of their defence.
Pilgrims boss Miron Muslic had hailed Liverpool as the “best team in the world”, but only goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher remained from the side that thrashed Tottenham on Thursday to book a Wembley date in the Carabao Cup.
Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister were among those given the day off.
Diogo Jota, Federico Chiesa and Luis Diaz ensured there was still plenty of firepower against opponents with the worst defensive record in the top four tiers of English football.
There was a carnival atmosphere at kick-off with Home Park sold out and huge green and white flags decorating the stadium.
Plymouth pushed for a dream start and Hardie saw his shot blocked by Joe Gomez inside the opening minute.
Gomez was captaining Liverpool on his first appearance since December 29 following a hamstring injury, but his afternoon was to end prematurely.
The England defender cut a frustrated figure sitting on the ground and limped off after 11 minutes, with Isaac Mabaya coming on to make a senior debut.
With the contest also held up by dental damage to Pilgrims defender Nikola Katic, there was little rhythm to a tie being played out on a lively surface.
Plymouth fans appealed for a penalty as Mustapha Bundu and Kostas Tsimikas tangled in the area, but referee Sam Barrott instantly waved play on.
James McConnell had the solitary on-target first-half attempt after 36 minutes, the midfielder’s strike deflecting off Darko Gyabi and forcing Conor Hazard into a sprawling save.
Callum Wright, a Liverpool fan who grew up idolising Steven Gerrard, saw his powerful effort deflected over by Wataru Endo, but Plymouth were soon ahead after 53 minutes.
Gyabi hooked the ball over his head and it struck the hand of Harvey Elliott, which was in an unnatural position above his head.
Hardie stepped up with confidence and dispatched the ball into the bottom left hand corner as Kelleher dived the other way.
Slot quickly sent on Darwin Nunez, but Plymouth were inches from doubling their advantage in the 62nd minute.
The excellent Katic knocked down a free-kick for Hardie to strike a post after Kelleher’s outstretched foot had applied the faintest of touches.
Hardie appeared to be offside, but the absence of VAR meant a goal would have stood.
McConnell drove wide following a Plymouth defensive mix-up and Hazard denied Jota and Nunez with outstanding saves, and the Pilgrims survived nine minutes of stoppage time to get the party started.
Arsenal hammered Coventry City 3-0 in the first game of this Premier League season on Friday night.
The Gunners have begun the defence of their title with maximum points at the Emirates.
First-half goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka put the reigning champions firmly in control, and captain Martin Odegaard added a third soon after the restart to seal a comfortable win on the opening day of the campaign.
Arsenal were without their new signing Bruno Guimaraes because of an injury, but another of the summer arrivals, Christos Tzolis, had provided the early spark, cutting in from the left before curling a shot over five minutes in.
The Greek winger also played a part in Arsenal’s opener, but it was a familiar face who found the breakthrough, as Havertz, starting ahead of Viktor Gyokeres, turned in Riccardo Calafiori’s low cross after 15 minutes.
It was 2-0 eight minutes later when Coventry goalkeeper Carl Rushworth could only palm Tzolis’ low delivery into the feet of Saka and the England international fired into the unguarded goal.
Odegaard added a third four minutes into the second half, receiving a pass from Ben White and beating Rushworth, albeit with a scuffed finish.
Aston Villa have completed the signing of West Ham United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka on a season-long loan deal that includes a conditional obligation to buy.
The 28-year-old DR Congo international joins Unai Emery’s side after Villa and West Ham reached an agreement over the transfer.
The specific conditions attached to the potential permanent move have not been disclosed, although West Ham had previously valued the right-back at around £25 million.
Wan-Bissaka was absent from West Ham’s opening two Championship fixtures of the season as negotiations over his return to the Premier League continued.
He joined West Ham from Manchester United in 2024 on a seven-year contract and made 65 appearances for the club across two seasons. He featured 25 times last season as the Hammers were relegated from the Premier League.
Villa are hoping Wan-Bissaka’s experience will bolster their defence as they prepare for a demanding campaign that includes both Premier League and Champions League football.
The defender made 190 appearances for Manchester United, winning the League Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.
He also started all four of DR Congo’s matches at the 2026 World Cup, where the Leopards reached the round of 32.
Villa’s agreement with West Ham bears similarities to the club’s loan deal for Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott last season. Elliott arrived with a £35 million obligation to buy that was dependent on him making 10 league appearances. However, he made only four appearances before returning to Liverpool this summer.
Wan-Bissaka could make his Aston Villa debut against Brighton on Sunday, with kick-off scheduled for 2pm BST.
His arrival also adds defensive depth to Emery’s squad as Villa prepare to compete in the Champions League after finishing fourth in the Premier League and winning the Europa League last season.
FIFA has unveiled the match schedule for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, confirming the dates and venues for all 64 matches across eight host cities.
In a post on FIFA’s website on Thursday, the schedule was announced at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland, during the live draw for the preliminary phase of the Women’s World Cup 2027 Play-Off Tournament.
Hosts Brazil will open the tournament at the iconic Estádio do Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, June 24, before playing their remaining group-stage matches at Arena Itaquera in São Paulo on Tuesday, June 29, and the Estádio Nacional in Brasília on Sunday, July 4.
Each of the eight host cities will stage at least seven matches, including a minimum of one knockout fixture.
Brasília, Porto Alegre, Recife and Salvador will host matches through the Round of 16, while Belo Horizonte and Fortaleza will join Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo as quarter-final venues.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the tournament would provide an opportunity to showcase the growth of women’s football while allowing fans and communities across Brazil to play a central role.
“We can’t wait to witness a new chapter of women’s football history unfold when the world’s best players, coaches, fans and local communities take centre stage in Brazil next year,” Infantino said.
The schedule has been designed to build towards the final in Rio de Janeiro, with São Paulo set to host one semi-final and the bronze-medal match.
The other semi-final and the final will be played at the Maracanã, while FIFA Fan Festivals will take place in the host cities and provide supporters with opportunities to follow the tournament away from the stadiums.
FIFA’s Chief Women’s Football Officer, Dame Sarai Bareman, said the schedule had been developed with sporting fairness and the experience of supporters in mind.
“As we developed the match schedule, we carefully balanced sporting fairness across all 32 teams, considering travel distances, recovery time between matches and the overall competition experience,” Bareman said.
She added that FIFA also wanted fans across Brazil to be able to participate in the tournament and for every host city to play a significant role in the event.
The Maracanã will make history by becoming only the third stadium to host both a men’s FIFA World Cup final and a Women’s World Cup final.
It joins the former Råsunda Stadium in Solna, Sweden, which hosted the 1958 men’s and 1995 women’s finals, and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, United States, which staged the 1994 men’s and 1999 women’s finals.
Aline Pellegrino, former captain of Brazil’s women’s national team and executive director of Legacy and Stakeholder Affairs for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, said hosting the tournament was a source of immense pride for the country.
“Hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil is a source of immense pride,” Pellegrino said. “Next year, we will see people from across Brazil and around the world come together to celebrate women’s football in a country renowned for its love of the game.”
She said each host city would bring its own character to the tournament and help create an atmosphere capable of inspiring the next generation of players.
The release of the schedule allows supporters to begin planning their trips to Brazil, while host cities, government authorities and other stakeholders continue preparations for the tournament.
FIFA said an updated version of the schedule will be released after the final draw, which is scheduled to take place later this year.
View the match schedule here: https://digitalhub.fifa.com/asset/6b91dd74-c399-46fe-a471-1334da9fc802/fwwc2027_MatchScheduleEN.pdf
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