Verdict from the Etihad as Liverpool are dumped out of the FA Cup with a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City
Arne Slot during the Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final match between Manchester City and Liverpool on April 4, 2026 in Manchester(Image: Shaun Brooks - CameraSport via Getty Images)
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If Arne Slot is to find salvation at Liverpool, it won't be the FA Cup that provides it.
In fact, rather than offer Slot's paymasters some evidence that something special could still be retrieved from an increasingly grotesque campaign, this was a day that only emboldened the swelling numbers who believe a change in the dugout is required to fix this mess.
A 4-0 dismantling by Pep Guardiola's Manchester City inflicts the heaviest defeat of his Liverpool tenure on Slot and the Reds are now sifting through the wreckage in search of positives ahead of another quarter-final on Wednesday night, against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Slot's players received a heavy beating from the newly-crowned Carabao Cup holders, leaving them with nothing to cling to as City secured another trip to Wembley in what may yet be Guardiola's final campaign.
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If this is to be the final fixture overseen by Guardiola between these clubs, it is one he will cherish like few others over the best part of the last decade. But the revered Catalan will surely recognise that this iteration of Liverpool - his greatest rival on these shores - is nowhere near the brilliant teams with whom he went toe to toe with to such breathtaking levels previously.
What exactly is this Liverpool team's biggest strength? It's becoming more difficult to establish that.
At this stage of the season - and with just one win in five across competitions now - that is unacceptable, regardless of how deep your reserves of sympathy are for the embattled head coach. A Cup exit at the Etihad is no disgrace, but the manner of how this came about is another debate entirely.
For close to 40 minutes Slot will have been pleased with what he saw as his side kept City largely in check while occasionally threatening at the other end. Hugo Ekitike and Mohamed Salah both should have done better with the opportunities that came their way.
But like so often this season, a lapse at the back led to an avoidable goal conceded and there could be few complaints from captain Virgil van Dijk when referee Michael Oliver pointed at the spot for a foul on Nico O'Reilly.
Erling Haaland, who had been a virtual bystander, stepped up and finished it off. But if that was frustrating for Slot, the inability to reach halftime only a goal down should have enraged him.
The half was petering out when a Liverpool throw gave their hosts the ball before a sweeping move involving Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo was finished off by Haaland to put the tie beyond doubt.
Slot's Liverpool have the durability of a soggy soft mint and rather than returning with renewed intensity and a determination to scratch and claw their way back into things, the game was essentially done and dusted just five minutes after the restart, when Semenyo clipped neatly over Giorgi Mamardashvili.
And the comprehensive victory then became an embarrassment when Haaland nudged home off the underside of the bar for his hat-trick and City's fourth before the hour mark.
It was an 18-minute collapse either side of half time that exposed this side's frailties in the coldest light of day and the sound of the City fans crowing about tearing Scousers apart will have sounded like a shrill shriek for the 7500 Reds in the away end. The mocking about being sacked in the morning will have sounded the same to Slot.
At 4-0, the oles and the Poznans were out in full force with two-thirds of the game still to play. That should register as a deep source of discomfort for Liverpool, who once more went to pieces at the first sign of a setback.
Salah was the last Liverpool player to leave the pitch, having given the away fans an extended clap less than a fortnight after he confirmed his intention to leave at the end of the season. The Egypt captain missed a penalty here, only compounding the misery, and the idea of him inspiring this team to domestic cup glory in his final weeks now lies in tatters.
Liverpool's season isn't looking much healthier right now either. Those whose glasses are half full will argue that Wednesday's visit to PSG presents a chance to immediately put things right. However, given the evisceration at the hands of City here, how much confidence is there in avoiding a similar fate at the home of the current champions of Europe?
Those in powerful positions at Anfield will point to the joyous scenes from 12 months ago and argue that few coaches in world football could have navigated the issues Slot has endured better than the Dutchman this term. But the problems that have plagued this team since day one appear no closer to being solved.
At some point, it must be asked: Is Slot really the right man to lead this Liverpool team beyond this summer?