Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has admitted to being "hurt" by his team's shock FA Cup exit but says opponents Plymouth Argyle "deserved" their 1-0 victory.
Plymouth, who are rock bottom of the Championship, beat the Premier League leaders in the fourth round thanks to a Ryan Hardie penalty after Harvey Elliott handled the ball inside the box. Slot fielded a much-changed team at Home Park -- making 10 changes from Thursday's Carabao Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur -- and Plymouth frustrated their visitors from the first whistle.
"It was a great game from Plymouth," Slot told ITV after the game. "Good game plan. They deserve all the credit for their performance today. We were not having a very good day, and this result was the outcome.
"I don't think I can say the boys didn't fight because the boys fought for 100 minutes. Both teams hardly created a chance and then the game was decided by a penalty, which was awarded correctly because [Elliott] had his arms above his head.
"In a game like this when the two teams hardly have any chances, any openings, it's up to one moment and today that moment was for them. Like I said, they deserved it because they played a really good game."
Slot rested a number of key players on Sunday afternoon, with the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch and Mohamed Salah not even travelling to the south coast.
Liverpool will be looking to bounce back from the defeat on Wednesday, where a win against local rivals Everton would see them move nine points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
"It hurts everyone that's involved with Liverpool," Slot said. "Fans, me, players. We all wanted to be in this competition for as long as possible."
He added: "They kept on fighting until the last second and the only chances we created were in the last 10 to 15 minutes. It wasn't a work rate problem. They worked really hard but they couldn't find chances. We just have to keep the work rate the same, but we have to be more creative in the upcoming games."
