A visit to the Etihad was always going to be a tough FA Cup tie for Liverpool, but there was still an expectation that they would at least be competitive. Instead, the Reds were blown away as Manchester City thrashed them 4–0. There is no disgrace in losing to Pep Guardiola’s side, especially away from home, but it was the manner of the defeat that made this such a tough one to take.
On this page, we will review what went wrong for Liverpool on Saturday and what impact this has on Slot’s future at Anfield.
Defensive Woes Continue as City Score Four
We exit the #EmiratesFACup. pic.twitter.com/Zcn4ChwxFz
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 4, 2026
Despite the 4-0 scoreline, it was Liverpool who began the game brightest and created the first big chance of the match. Mohamed Salah latched onto a big kick from Giorgi Mamardashvili before showing good strength to brush Abdukodir Khusanov aside. Salah then had just the goalkeeper to beat, from around 10 yards out, but he took a dreadful touch, which allowed Khusanov to recover and make a block.
Much talk this season about Salah has focused on his declining physical attributes, but instances like this show how even his ability on the ball is not what it once was. The Salah of old would have forced the keeper into a save at the very least, and most likely scored. Rocked by this early scare, City sorted themselves out and began to look the more threatening team.
Their pressure paid off in the 37th minute when Virgil van Dijk clumsily brought down Nico O’Reilly in the box. Salah’s drop-off this year has received the most attention, but the Dutchman has been far below his usual levels, too. As well as conceding this penalty, which Erling Haaland duly dispatched, Van Dijk did not cover himself in glory for the third goal when letting Antonie Semenyo run in behind him.
City converted their penalty in the 39th minute and before half-time, Haaland bagged another, really turning the match City’s way if it was not already. A clipped cross came into the box and although the powerful Norwegian was being tightly marshalled by Konate, the striker managed to get his head on the ball first. This timely goal meant that Liverpool headed into the dressing room 2-0 down and in need of a big response.
Instead of a that positive response, though, the game continued as it had been with City in complete control. By the 50th minute, Semenyo added a third after sneaking in behind the Liverpool rearguard, while Haaland made it four with his hat-trick just seven minutes later. Amazingly that was the striker’s 12th Man City hat-trick in just 190 matches for the club. The defending for his third goal was particularly poor. From Dominik Szoboszlai’s lazy effort to get back, to Joe Gomez failing to track the run from O’Reilly, it was a goal that rather summed up Liverpool’s defence.
There was still time for more pain, as a frustrated Salah saw his penalty saved by Trafford after Liverpool were awarded a spot-kick. That is now the second in a row the Egyptian has missed, so perhaps he will not be taking the next one when it arrives. The visitors did try to push for a consolation goal, but according to Van Dijk after the game, his team ended up ‘giving up’ in the second half. That will worry Reds fans almost as much as the score itself.
Talking about going 3-0 down, the skipper said, “you shouldn’t give up and that’s maybe, at a certain point, what happened”. The Dutchman added, “We let our fans down, we let ourselves down, and the manager.” Clearly, he will be wanting a big response when Liverpool face PSG on Wednesday, but you can forgive any Liverpool fans who are not optimistic about seeing one following this display.
Is Pressure Mounting on Slot?
Before the FA Cup tie, reliable sources had indicated that Slot still had the support of the club owners and that they believed he could see them through this tricky run of fixtures. FSG have never put much importance on domestic trophies, and instead, Champions League qualification is what managers are judged on more than anything. So, crashing out of the FA Cup will have had little impact on Slot’s job security.
Since the game, Paul Joyce, writing in The Athletic, reiterated the point that the owners want to stand by Slot, but that his job is not safe should the season unravel. If Liverpool fail to qualify for next year’s Champions League, there is a strong feeling that Slot will be out of a job. Securing a top-five finish is not a guarantee of staying on, as the manner in which it’s done may make an impact.
Securing a top-five finish comfortably after a strong end to the season will reflect far better than simply limping over the line, as it will seem more repeatable. How the Reds perform against PSG in their Champions League quarter final will also have some impact. A heavy defeat is unlikely to lead to an immediate sacking, but it could all but extinguish any lingering belief that Slot is the right man to turn things around next season.