As daunting as Liverpool will be for Plymouth today, former Argyle boss Derek Adams claims it was harder when they faced the Reds in 2017. Adams masterminded a goalless draw at Anfield, when they had just 23 per cent possession, to bring Jurgen Klopp’s side back to Home Park for a third-round replay and pushed them hard before losing to Lucas Leiva’s first goal in seven years. Plymouth were League Two back then, compared to Championship now, and Klopp brought back Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge after fielding Liverpool’s youngest-ever starting XI, including an 18-year-old Trent Alexander Arnold, in the first game.
There were 66 league places between the sides and Adams, who is fighting to keep Morecambe in the EFL, said: “I think it was harder for us. You look at the replay and they decided to put Coutinho into the side. “It was definitely harder for us, being in League Two than it is for a team in the Championship at this moment in time.” Divock Origi missed a penalty to make it 2-0 and Liverpool survived a scare when Jake Jervis hit the woodwork in front of the 17,048 crowd, Plymouth’s biggest for nine years.
The match sponsors presented a slightly-bemused Klopp with a giant Cornish pasty after the game with the words ‘Jurgen Klopp 293 miles Plymouth to Liverpool’. Adams, who won Plymouth promotion that season, said: “Near the end, we hit the post. It was like a bicycle kick and you think ‘wow, is this going to go in?’, but it didn’t. “Liverpool were a very strong side and to lose 1-0 over the two games wasn’t bad. Getting the replay back at Home Park was magical and I’m not sure Jurgen Klopp understood where Plymouth is on the map.
“He had a giant pasty presented to him in the after-match press conference. That probably took him back to his days in Germany, but it was great to see. He got it, he’s such a great character.”. Plymouth made around £1million from the two games and it helped propel the club from League Two to the Championship. “That money helped us pay off the debt, so those games helped the football club immensely,” said Adams.
“We had a bigger crowd than we should have had because we had temporary seating in for the game. It enabled us to use the money to improve the training ground. “We put in a new sprinkler system at Home Park, we put in a brand new water tank. We improved things throughout the football club and that’s what the money from the first game and the replay generated.”. Adams will be glued to his television today and refuses to rule out a shock win for the Pilgrims, who stunned Brentford in the last round. “I’ll be watching,” said the Scot.
“I love Plymouth Argyle Football Club. It was four years of my life that I really enjoyed. I love the place and I love the people. It’s going to be a surprise if Argyle win, but they have players of Championship quality. They have nothing to lose, so you just never know.”. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
