The Premier League and Champions League leaders Liverpool, who are also in the semi-finals of the League Cup, negotiated their third-round passage over fourth-tier Accrington at Anfield with predictable ease on Saturday thanks to goals from Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jayden Danns and Federico Chiesa.
They even had the luxury of fielding Rio Ngumoha, who at the age of 16 became the club's second youngest debutant and took full advantage of his big opportunity with a performance full of flair and confidence before getting a rest on the hour mark.
Plymouth's captain Joe Edwards applauds their fans after the shock win at Brentford. (AP PHOTO)
The third round is traditionally one of the most anticipated weekends in the English game as Premier League clubs enter the FA Cup.
The biggest early casualties were top-flight Brentford, who were upset 1-0 at home by Plymouth, currently bottom of the second-tier Championship having just sacked high-profile manager Wayne Rooney.
Morgan Whittaker's 82nd-minute strike ended Plymouth's 11-game winless run, making it a great day for caretaker boss Kevin Nancekivell and club captain Joe Edwards who've been running the show since the sacking. Incoming manager Miron Muslic watched it all from the stands.
But there were no similar problems for Chelsea, Brighton, Bournemouth and Leicester, who all routed lower-league opposition, while high-flying Nottingham Forest were also through to the next round.
Chelsea beat fourth-division Morecambe 5-0 at Stamford Bridge, with Tosin Adarabioyo and Joao Felix scoring two goals each for the eight-time winners.
Leicester are fighting relegation but thrashed second-tier Queens Park Rangers 6-2 for only their second win under manager Ruud van Nistelrooy. The Dutch coach hadn't won since his first game in charge at the start of December against West Ham.
James Justin scored twice and Jamie Vardy converted a second-half penalty on his 38th birthday.
Georginio Rutter scored twice in Brighton's 4-0 win at Norwich, while Bournemouth's Dango Ouattara struck a double in a 5-1 victory against West Brom.
Sitting third in the Premier League, Forest notched their seventh straight win by beating Luton 2-0, with Ryan Yates and Ramon Sosa scoring, while Premier League Wolves also advanced 1-0 at second-division Bristol City.
Former Manchester United prospect Demetri Mitchell scored twice to help third-division Exeter beat second-division Oxford 3-1 in another surprise result.
