Liverpool

Brent Pilnick
BBC Sport England

Image source, Rex Features

Miron Muslic says he has not had any time to think about Plymouth Argyle's forthcoming FA Cup tie against Premier League leaders Liverpool.

The Pilgrims will face the six times champions of Europe early next month after beating Brentford in the third round on Saturday.

Muslic, who was appointed late on Friday night, was in the stands for the victory and takes charge of his first game on Tuesday night when Argyle host fellow Championship strugglers Oxford United.

The Pilgrims are bottom of the second tier and parted company with head coach Wayne Rooney on 31 December.

The Liverpool tie will be Muslic's sixth game in charge, five of which are at Home Park.

"I'm not thinking about stuff like this," Muslic told BBC Sport when asked about Liverpool's visit.

"The last 72 hours has been so much for me and I've tried to maximize my attention towards the team.

"I tried maximise my attention towards the things I can immediately impact, and this is my team and Oxford and QPR next Saturday.

"Liverpool is far, far away. So when Liverpool is in front of us two days before I will jump in on Arne Slot and Liverpool for sure, but not before."

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot says it "will be a very difficult challenge" for his side when they travel to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.

Forest are the only team to have beaten the Reds at home this season.

Rob Schofield
BBC Radio 5 Live football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

With Nottingham Forest and Liverpool separated by six points at the top of the Premier League table, their meeting at The City Ground on Tuesday has a throwback feel to it.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s the two clubs were locked in a tussle for all the major honours, with Brian Clough and Bob Paisley establishing a fierce rivalry.

Arne Slot joked that his press officer had briefed him 10 minutes before his press conference, admitting he "didn't know the exact years" but was aware Forest had been a big force in English football for a long period of time".

It is perhaps understandable considering the Dutchman was born merely months after Forest beat Liverpool to the old First Division title back in 1978, before going on to lift back-to-back European Cups.

The Liverpool manager explained how he is under no illusions of the threat this week's opponents pose now though, having recently watched back September's 1-0 defeat at Anfield – Liverpool's only loss in the Premier League this season – to assess what they could do differently.

He did not however miss the opportunity to point out that for as impressive as Forest have been, they have splashed the cash to be in title contention.

"Nuno is doing an incredible job," he said with a smile. "But if you look at the amount of money they've spent, its not a complete surprise how well they're doing this season."

Forest were deducted four points last season for breaching profit and sustainability rules. The club spent £142.8m when promoted in 2022 and had a modest off-season the following year, before an £88m outlay in the most recent summer.

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has been speaking to the media before Tuesday's Premier League game at Nottingham Forest (kick-off 20:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Joe Gomez remains "quite far away" from a return from injury, with Slot adding: "He will definitely not be training with the team yet."

• Meanwhile, Darwin Nunez will miss Tuesday's game through suspension but Diogo Jota "is ready to play 90 minutes" after a period of managing minutes.

• Slot said Wataru Endo, who came on as centre-back against Tottenham, "is a very important player in the team" and "always gives everything he has."

• On the academy players who have featured in cup competitions: "It is very important for every club but especially this club. This club has always brought talent through the ranks and it is nice to see a few having an impact in training sessions and in games. It gives a good energy in the training ground and team when they are doing well."

• Slot said "it is going to be a very difficult challenge" to get a result against Nottingham Forest as they are "definitely" capable of competing for the Premier League title.

• On the reverse fixture, Liverpool's only home defeat of the season: "To lose on that day was hard to take. Now, looking back and seeing where they are in the league, it is not such a shock result as it felt then. They had a good game plan and made us play a poor game. We have to do better. We have to look into the details."

• He said he expects "the atmosphere to be fired up from the start," so they will have to be switched on from the whistle to avoid giving the home crowd being any more vocal.

Follow all of Monday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Full commentary of Nottingham Forest v Liverpool from 20:00 GMT on Tuesday on BBC Radio 5 Live

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's FA Cup game between Liverpool and Accrington Stanley.

Here are some of your comments:

Paul: Great to see some of the young boys get a break in the first team. I so wanted Nunez to score, but absolutely delighted for Federico Chiesa - may this be the first of many in Liverpool red.

Ian: Not a bad game. Liverpool rarely got into second gear. It was nice to see the youngsters having a run out and Chiesa looked lively. Darwin Nunez was disappointing again with one assist and a glaring chance hoofed over the bar, and Diogo Jota didn't do much either - he looked tired.

Sean: I thought Wataru Endo was our best player by far, especially when you consider he was playing centre-half instead of in midfield.

Jason: A solid, routine home win. More minutes for Jota, Harvey Elliott and Connor Bradley to sweep away comeback cobwebs. Result was never in doubt after Trent Alexander-Arnold's piledriver. I'm a big Chiesa fan - he showed his silky skills and proved his fitness. Not a starter yet, but certainly a high-impact sub at the very least. Massive credit to Accrington for a highly entertaining second half. They deserved a consolation goal, but I'm glad we kept a clean sheet. Finally, a special shoutout to Rio Ngumoha for his senior debut.

Edem: That was some performance. Chiesa and youngsters like Jayden Danns need more game time. I don't see why Nunez gets to play - he needs to leave the club, probably on loan.

Brent Pilnick
BBC Sport England

Image source, Getty Images

It is a dream tie in the FA Cup for Plymouth Argyle as Premier League leaders Liverpool are set to come to town next month.

The Pilgrims will be hoping they can go one better than the last time these two sides met in the third round eight years ago.

At Anfield Argyle held a young Liverpool side to a 0-0 draw as 9,000 members of the Green Army made the 293-mile trip to Merseyside.

It took one of the rarest of footballing feats - a Luca Leiva header - to separate the sides 1-0 in the replay at Home Park as Divock Origi had a penalty saved by Luke McCormick as the then-League Two side frustrated Jurgen Klopp's team.

Fast forward to 2025 and Argyle are bottom of the Championship and have just seen Wayne Rooney - hero of Liverpool's arch rivals Everton and Manchester United - leave his role as head coach.

It will be a first taste of FA Cup football for his replacement Miron Muslic and a first-ever away FA Cup tie for Klopp's successor Arne Slot.

Argyle may well be struggling in the league and have won just five times at Home Park in all competitions this season, but their tails will be up.

They upset Premier League opposition in the last round when they beat Brentford 1-0 and the squad will be keen to impress their new head coach.

Liverpool cannot afford to take the Pilgrims lightly in their quest to win trophies on four fronts.

The draw for the FA Cup fourth round has been made. Here is a list of all the ties involving Premier League teams in the order they were drawn.

Games will be played over the weekend of 8 February.

• Manchester United v Leicester

• Brighton v Chelsea

• Exeter v Nottingham Forest

• Coventry v Ipswich

• Blackburn v Wolves

• Mansfield/Wigan v Fulham

• Birmingham v Newcastle

• Plymouth v Liverpool

• Everton v Bournemouth

• Aston Villa v Tottenham

• Southampton v Burnley

• Leyton Orient/Derby v Manchester City

• Doncaster v Crystal Palace

See the full draw

Matthew Howarth
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

It may have come against League Two opposition, but Liverpool's victory over Accrington Stanley will have been a highly satisfactory one for Reds boss Arne Slot - for a number of reasons.

The Dutchman fielded a strong team which subjected their opponents to relentless pressure in the first half and eventually took a deserved lead through Diogo Jota just before the half-hour mark.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has been linked with a move to Real Madrid and was criticised by some fans following last weekend's 2-2 draw at home to Manchester United, silenced those critics with a tremendous strike into the top corner on the stroke of half-time.

Rio Ngumoha, the youngest player to start a match for Liverpool at just 16 years and 135 days old, was a lively presence down the Reds' left and received a warm ovation from the Anfield crowd after being replaced by fellow teenager Jayden Danns - scorer of the hosts' third.

But it was Federico Chiesa who had the final say, capping an energetic display with his first goal for the club late on.

The summer signing from Juventus has endured an injury-hit campaign so far but will hope Saturday's goal marks the start of a career revival.

Have your say on Liverpool's performance here

Image source, Getty Images

Arne Slot spoke to ITV after Liverpool's victory against Accrington Stanley: "Credit to them, I think they showed their style of play, which is a big compliment.

"They played the same style as they always play. In the end, of course, the difference in quality makes a big difference for us, but compliments to them with how they showed up today."

On Rio Ngumoha: "He did well. There were a few moments where the fans could see why we think he's a talent. He is good in one-v-one situations.

"He showed a bit more in the first half than in the second half. It is nice to get your debut and get the win. It is a special day for him."

On Trent Alexander-Arnold's performance: "Trent didn't have his best game against Man Utd, but for the rest of the season he has been so good for us - I liked his performance today.

"Our fans have always given him a lot of support. He didn't play well, but fans reacted to that.

"If Trent just plays what we expect from him, then he gets support."

On Federico Chiesa's first goal for Liverpool: "It is definitely a good first step, but as much as I liked the way Accrington Stanley played we have to take into consideration that we're talking about League Two level.

"It is good to have him back on the pitch. He was a threat, but let's not get carried away."

Image source, Getty Images

At 16 years and 135 days, Rio Ngumoha is the youngest player to play for Liverpool in any competition since Jerome Sinclair featured in a League Cup match against West Bromwich Albion in September 2012 (16y 6d).

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Liverpool's performance

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

The FA Cup third round continues on Saturday, with three Premier League teams involved in early kick-offs.

This is how you can follow the action:

• Bristol City v Wolves (12:00) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Liverpool v Accrington Stanley (12:15) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Leicester v QPR (14:00)

Kick-off times GMT

Follow all of the action and reaction

Image source, Getty Images

The FA Cup third round is well under way, with Premier League sides Everton, Fulham and Aston Villa the clubs already booking their places in the fourth-round draw with wins on Thursday and Friday.

But for other sides hoping for a healthy cup run this season, when will the draw take place?

The draw will be live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer following the conclusion of the Arsenal v Manchester United tie, which kicks off at 15:00 GMT on Sunday.

It will include 32 teams - with all third-round matches this weekend settled on the day - and the resulting ties will be played over the weekend commencing Saturday, 8 February.