Liverpool were thrashed 4-0 by Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday and boss Arne Slot was left frustrated by his side's lack of ruthlessness
17:57, 04 Apr 2026
An individual with a bald head, wearing a black hoodie, is seated at a press conference, attentively addressing the gathered media. Behind him, a backdrop adorned with various sponsorship logos, including "Emirates" and "Mitre," is visible.
View 2 Images
Arne Slot was fuming in his post match press conference
Arne Slot blasted Liverpool for their lack of fighting spirit following an abysmal FA Cup capitulation at Manchester City.
The Reds manager has cautioned his team they must become more ruthless in defence or face a similar humiliation in their Champions League quarter-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain next week.
Erling Haaland bagged a hat-trick while Antoine Semenyo also found the net as the Reds were hammered 4-0 in their quarter-final clash at the Etihad on Saturday afternoon.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 4: Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool shrugs his shoulders toward his fans after the Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final match between Manchester City and Liverpool at Etihad Stadium on April 4, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
View 2 Images
Liverpool were beaten by Manchester City in the FA Cup(Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
JOIN US ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page
Liverpool were arguably the superior side before Haaland's spot-kick opener triggered the visitors to concede four goals in a devastating 20-minute spell spanning either side of the interval, reports the Liverpool Echo.
A dejected Dominik Szoboszlai admitted after the match that the Reds had been lacking in fighting spirit as they endured a fourth loss in seven outings.
When informed of the midfielder's remarks, Slot responded: "I did not feel this until the moment they scored the 1-0. I missed the fighting spirit definitely in the first 10 minutes after half-time and afterwards both teams accepted it was 4-0.
"In that 10-15 minutes of time, I missed fighting spirit, the willingness to win your duel, to be there first, to make it difficult for either a pass or a cross or a finish. That is something we definitely have to do better on Wednesday."
Virgil van Dijk committed the foul on Nico O'Reilly that led to the spot-kick, with Liverpool culpable of surrendering possession at their own throw-in to trigger the second and third strikes.
Slot bemoaned Liverpool's poor game management before the break, commenting: "After the 1-0 were still in the game, then twice we conceded from our throw-in.
"The second goal was a similar one to one we conceded here earlier this season just before half-time.
"If you look at the goals, there I see runs not being followed, I see crosses that are not being blocked, duels in front of goal not being won. I see the same pattern but that's not a pattern over 90 minutes but how we concede goals.
"Then you sometimes need to understand if you are 1-0 down you have to do everything right to go in 1-0 down at half-time. Sometimes it is about maybe trying to score the 1-1, in others it is about making sure you don't concede.
"Those 20 minutes the way we defended when we conceded the four goals is absolutely not good enough. It wasn't as if it was chance after chance after chance. If it is, then you think maybe we should change our gameplan or tactics...
"But it is about understanding the importance of a moment, that you need to be ruthless in those moments even if things go against you or mentally you find it a bit hard when again you are 1-0 down after 35 minutes when you feel you are at least equal.
"This has happened many times to us. Mentality could be a part of it, but it is never an excuse.
"If you play for this club, being 1-0 down or 2-0 down is never an excuse not to put that effort in at that specific moment. It is almost impossible to get a result if you face teams of this quality if you let a runner go or don't block a cross."
Article continues below
The away section housing 7,600 Liverpool supporters started to clear out halfway through the second half, prompting Slot to say: "If we don't want them to leave early we have to perform better. We have to show now that we react after a loss like this.
"The fans have always been supportive even today, during large spells of the first half they were very loud and before the game they were very loud.
"It is up to us to react not only for them but for ourselves, that's what we need to do Wednesday. We need to play like we did for the first 35 minutes but in moments of defending we need to be much more ruthless than we were today."