Liverpool crashed out of the FA Cup by losing 1-0 at Plymouth Argyle. With the team lacking cohesion, Arne Slot actually wanted to go a little stronger with his team selection.

Center-back and captain on the day Joe Gomez limped off after just a few minutes and Slot has revealed that Darwin Nunez was only on the bench because he had been to Spain in the days leading up to the match. That was because his partner was giving birth.

"It was difficult," Slot said during his pre-Everton press conference. "Because the plan was of course to play with Joe for 60 minutes or longer; the plan was to start Curtis [Jones] but he came out Sunday saying that he didn’t feel well enough to play.

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"So then all of a sudden, we missed two important players. I think people know Darwin’s situation, that he became a dad one or two days before the game and that happened in Spain, so he came in a bit later. So there were some circumstances that weren’t perfect."

Nunez could start at Goodison Park this midweek but Luis Diaz, who did play against Plymouth, and Diogo Jota, who started but barely had a kick, is another option. Either Nunez or Diaz would be the favorite to get the nod as the number nine with Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah near-certainties on the flanks.

Liverpool.com says: The only real team selection decision, aside from right-back call which will come down to whether or not Trent Alexander-Arnold is fit enough, is at number nine. Nunez was excellent against Spurs last Thursday while Diaz has been preferred. It could be either of them who are chosen to start.