Plymouth Argyle FA Cup hero battles through bizarre injury in shock win over Liverpool - 'I f****** love it!'

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Nikola Katic pushed through the pain barrier during Plymouth Argyle's 1-0 win over Liverpool on Sunday. The 28-year-old will be leaving Home Park minus a tooth after losing it in a clash with team-mate Adam Randell. Katic was able to continue, with the tooth probably somewhere in the turf. Katic will be champing at the bit to see who Plymouth will get in the fifth round.

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Video credit: SNTV

Plymouth Argyle claimed one of the biggest FA Cup scalps in recent years after overcoming Premier League leaders Liverpool with a stunning 1-0 win at Home Park.

The Pilgrims’ position at the bottom of the Championship table means they sit 43 places below Liverpool in England’s football pyramid.

However, Ryan Hardie's 55th-minute penalty sent the Championship strugglers into the fifth round, ending The Reds’ hopes of completing an unprecedented quadruple.

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Harvey Elliott was penalised for handball inside the box, and Hardie was coolness personified when he dispatched the subsequent spot-kick.

Plymouth's players strained every sinew to hold onto their slender lead, with goalkeeper Conor Hazard making a couple of stunning saves to deny Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez in the closing stages.

But a lesser-known event from the day concerned centre-back Nikola Katic, who may be sitting in a dentist's chair come Monday morning.

Blood was pouring from the defender's mouth following a collision with team-mate Adam Randell, resulting in the Bosnia & Herzegovina international losing a tooth in the opening exchanges of the match.

After receiving some medical treatment on the pitch during a brief stoppage in play, Katic was able to continue and featured for the full 90 minutes, making some notable defensive interventions against Arne Slot's table-topping side.

Katic was clearly running on adrenaline after swearing twice during his post-match interview with ITV.

He twice said in his post-match interview: "I f****** love it", before adding more eloquently: "That's why I came here. It's a beautiful day here."

Meanwhile, Slot may be left ruing giving the likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Alisson and Andy Robertson a day off, as The Reds' boss made 10 changes to the side who beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 on Thursday.

The Dutchman leaves Devon with an injury concern of his own, after Joe Gomez was withdrawn in the 11th minute and replaced by Isaac Mabaya.

Their attention now shifts back to the Premier League and a Merseyside derby at Everton on Wednesday - a game live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

Meanwhile, Plymouth will focus on preserving their second-tier status for another season when they host Millwall on the same day.

Miron Muslic’s men will learn of their fifth-round opponents when the draw is conducted on Monday evening, before Doncaster Rovers play Crystal Palace.

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