Walking Tall

The Irishman and life-long Liverpool fan strutted his stuff on the famous turf, and played a typically key role in the Greens earning a famous draw in Merseyside. The Reds piled on the pressure for so much of the Emirates FA Cup third round tie, but found Argyle simply unbreakable at the back, as they kept the country’s most prolific side at bay.

“It was a great day; it was a great match,” said Carey. 

“It was difficult. Obviously we did a lot of running and put in a lot of effort. Thankfully we held on and it paid its due, because I thought we were terrific. If they were to score late on, I thought it would be very unjust.”

Jurgen Klopp threw on some heavy artillery in the second half in the form of Daniel Sturridge, Roberto Firmino and Adam Lallana, but it was to no avail. Motivated by both Liverpool’s struggles and the incredible noise of the Green Army in the Anfield Road End, Argyle became just the second time to keep a clean sheet at Anfield this season.

The other side? Manchester United.

“I think it actually spurred us on,” said Graham, “for them to need those players to try and get a result. It showed we were doing everything right. 

“It just spurred us on in the last ten or fifteen minutes. I thought the fans were terrific as well today throughout. It really helped us near the end.Now as a club and a team, we can look forward to the replay.”

With a second meeting between the sides now to be played and the entire city of Plymouth understandably picking up the FA Cup fever, other Sky Bet League Two sides may see Argyle’s cup run as a distraction from league matters. But Carey, fresh off of an experience he will never forget, sees his side’s cup exploits as inspirational material for the rest of the season.

“I think we’ll grow from this,” said Graham. “Obviously we’ve had a lot of signings this season, but communication today was the best it’s been all season. Mentally and even physically, I thought we held our own. Obviously they’re really good players and there are some things you just can’t stop, but we dug in as a team and we were terrific. 

“It was unbelievable before the game. When they started singing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, I was getting shivers. It was unbelievable. Growing up, I always dreamed of playing here. To be unbeaten here is even better!”