The story, really, should be about Plymouth Argyle. This was the archetypal cup shock: a lower league opponent knocking out a much-changed Premier League team, with a bit of luck and a below-par showing from the side expected to canter to victory.
Liverpool, though it will not have enjoyed the rare feeling of defeat, will ultimately be unconcerned if it establishes a nine-point lead over Arsenal by beating Everton on Wednesday. The team that Arne Slot selected here was very much with that in mind.
"It took a long time before we created our first chance," Slot said during an honest assessment of the game with the BBC. "That's down to Plymouth — they defended really well. A penalty which was the correct decision led to the fact we lost.
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"There were not many young players in the team. Most of them, everyone is constantly telling us — and I agree with them — that we have a strong squad. These players, they help us when they come from the bench.
"That's not an excuse that the starters were not here. These players should be able to win a game like this. But we knew it would be a difficult game because of their playing style."
Experiencing a loss for just the fourth time in charge of Liverpool, Slot was not exactly pleased with the performances that some of his senior stars put in. Neither, though, was he raging at the giant-killing — probably because he recognizes the bigger picture.
Liverpool will now have no game on the first weekend of March, which falls after a run of five Premier League games in 15 days, and a few days before their Champions League last 16 first leg. If the Reds had progressed and drawn a strong side in the fifth round, that would have been a distraction that could have made their European exploits more difficult.
No one has ever won the quadruple before and if you are going to go far in one of the lesser competitions — either of the domestic cups — the Carabao Cup, which finishes much earlier and gets in the way of the season far less, is the one to pick. That is what Liverpool did by beating Spurs so convincingly just a few days ago.
It is simultaneously true that Slot's selection gamble of making so many swaps and leaving so many senior men out completely ultimately backfired and that in the bigger picture, he might not be that concerned by the defeat. Going out of the FA Cup, as Jamie Carragher pointed out on social media, could offer a boost in the competitions that are more significant priorities.
Liverpool has already reached the Carabao Cup final, is leading the way in the Premier League, and is among the favorites to win the Champions League too. Having three, and not four, competitions to focus on might not be the worst thing.
It was always unlikely in the extreme that Liverpool would be gunning for all four pieces of silverware on offer. In terms of winning the other three, it might just have received an accidental blessing in disguise.
