Former Arsenal defender helps eliminate Liverpool from FA Cup | OneFootball

Former Arsenal defender Julio Pleguezuelo helped Plymouth Argyle to eliminate Liverpool from the FA Cup on Sunday, playing over an hour of the contest.

Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images

In the upset of the round, bottom-of-the-Championship Plymouth Argyle knocked out Premier League leaders Liverpool from the FA Cup over the weekend, and they were helped out by former Arsenal centre-back Julio Pleguezuelo.

28-year-old Pleguezuelo joined Plymouth from Twente FC in 2023, four years after leaving Arsenal permanently. He’d spent six seasons with the Gunners academy and even made his first-team debut in the League Cup.

After playing 90 minutes in Plymouth’s third-round FA Cup win over Brentford and learning that Liverpool would be their next opponents, Pleguezuelo had a bit of an injury scare, coming off early against Sunderland in late January.

But the defender shook off the knock to return to the pitch on February 1st, meaning he was available to make the starting lineup in the fourth round against Liverpool.

Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images

It was a strong performance from the ex-Arsenal man, as he made four clearances and five tackles without being dribbled past once. In fact, Pleguezuelo won all six of his individual duels.

With Plymouth 1-0 up in the 67th minute thanks to a Ryan Hardie penalty, Pleguezuelo had to come off with another knock. But his teammates managed to see out the victory to secure Plymouth’s place in the fifth round.

Plymouth will learn their next opponents on Monday night, with the draw taking place at around 19:10 GMT. They won’t be afraid of anyone now.

Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

With Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, and Liverpool already eliminated, Plymouth have outlasted all but two of the “big-six” clubs.

Only Manchester United and Manchester City remain in the competition, though there are plenty of other Premier League sides involved, such Brighton & Hove Albion, Aston Villa, and Newcastle United.

Whatever happens next, Pleguezuelo and Plymouth have already made plenty of memories for their supporters.