Arne Slot’s FA Cup gamble could get the payoff he wants for Liverpool against Everton

Liverpool face Everton in the last Merseyside derby at Goodison Park and Arne Slot’s side are under pressure after their weakened side were embarrassed by Plymouth in the FA Cup

Part of Arne Slot’s gamble failed when Plymouth humiliated Liverpool in the FA Cup on Sunday. Now he must ensure the second part succeeds in Wednesday’s final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.

As gutted as most Liverpool fans were to be upset by Plymouth, they understood Slot’s need to make changes for Everton and Sunday’s embarrassment will be forgiven if they win on Wednesday.

Slot made 10 changes and his starting line-up at Home Park, containing seven full internationals and two Under-21s, was more than good enough to beat the team bottom of the Championship. They didn’t and instead the FA Cup reminded us all that it can still serve up good, old-fashioned shocks.

The main responsibility for the embarrassing loss should lie with them and not Slot, as they just did not perform. The one criticism of Slot is that he has marginalised the likes of Jarell Quansah, Joe Gomez, Wataru Endo, Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa either through injury or because he simply does not see them as regular first-team starters.

They looked off when he started them at Plymouth and it’s safe to say Slot will never pick that starting line-up again. Slot rested 10 regulars because he had both eyes on Everton and he fully understands the size of the prize up for grabs.

Much of the build-up will be about this being the last derby at Goodison, but his laser focus will be on winning to open up a nine-point lead over Arsenal in the title race. This would be hugely significant and Liverpool would have to do a Devon Loch, as Fergie famously said of Blackburn in the 1995 title race, for them not to win.

Liverpool would have to lose three of their remaining 14 Premier League games, just for the Gunners to draw level with them. To put this in context, they have lost just one of their first 23.

With their current points per game, Liverpool are on course to amass 92, while Arsenal are on target to reach 79. But everyone inside Anfield knows there is much football to be played yet, starting at Goodison Park.

The emotion will be off the scale and Liverpool must contend with probably the most-intense atmosphere Goodison has seen since the last-day survival act in 2023. Evertonians are desperate to win their last derby at Goodison and say goodbye to the Grand Old Lady in style.

Derbies are always highly-charged affairs on Merseyside and this one could be a throwback to the 1980s when the sides were the best in the country and Peter Reid and Steve McMahon were flying into tackles. Liverpool must keep their cool and deal with all of this.

And Slot has the players to handle this occasion with Alisson, Conor Bradley, Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah are returning. That is a team that has already proved they can win a game as big as the last Merseyside derby at Goodison.

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