Arne Slot names 'only good thing' from Man City loss as Liverpool crumbles

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The Reds were dumped out of the

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 4: Arne Slot manager / head coach of Liverpool during the Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final match between Manchester City and Liverpool on April 4, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

Arne Slot admitted he feared Liverpool's margin of defeat could have been even bigger at the Etihad after the Reds were dumped out of the FA Cup by Manchester City in Saturday.

The Reds lost 4-0 in their first match back after the international break, meaning Liverpool's only hopes of lifting silverware at the end of the season come in the Champions League.

Despite the one-sided scoreline, it was an even encounter for the first 35 minutes in Manchester, before Virgil van Dijk tripped Nico O'Reilly in the final stages of the first half, which allowed Erling Haaland to net from the spot.

Liverpool responded terribly to that setback, with Haaland heading in another before the break. Antoine Semenyo made three just five minutes after the restart, before Haaland grabbed his hat-trick in the 57th minute. Liverpool feared City flexing its muscles and running up an even more embarrassing score.

That humiliation was increased when Mohamed Salah missed from the spot on his first match after confirming his decision to leave the club this summer.

"The 2-0 is also not nice just before we go in at half-time because we felt that in the first half that things were quite equal," Slot told TNT Sports after the game.

"If you go 2-0 down, it is not helpful for your mood, especially after the season we have had. To go out and hope to get immediately into the game but to also get punished with the 3-0 and 4-0 is really tough to take.

"The only good thing is that we didn’t concede more. Being 4-0 down away at the Etihad, the way we played in that moment, you are fighting the worst. But it stayed four."