Arne Slot points to Man City stat as he tries to defend Liverpool's FA Cup thrashing

• 

• Sport
• Football
• Manchester City FC

Manchester City comfortably beat Liverpool in the FA Cup on Saturday to book a return to Wembley.

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot was keen to point out that Manchester City outperformed their expected goals (xG) during his side's heavy loss on Saturday. The Blues were comfortable for most of the game but only took the lead in the 39th minute when Nico O'Reilly won a penalty that Erling Haaland converted.

Just before half-time, Haaland added a second as he guided Antoine Semenyo's cross into the far corner. Semenyo made it 3-0 shortly after the break as City eased into the last four of the FA Cup. There was still time for Haaland to wrap up his hat-trick in the 57th minute as the Blues continued their push for a domestic treble.

After the game, Slot told reporters he did not want to dwell on the final score. "I don’t think you have to ask me about the result because that speaks for itself, that is an unbelievable disappointment," he explained.

Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our City WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. You can also join our City Facebook page by clicking HERE and don't miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.

"Losing is already a disappointment and then losing 4-0 in an FA Cup quarter-final against a team Liverpool have had so many great fights against is a big disappointment. The 20 minutes where we conceded four goals were not of our standard. No one will remember it but the first 35 minutes there was a lot to like from my team.

"It would be nice if we could score a goal once in a while from the chances that we create. Again, we faced a team that was outperforming their xG by a mile which is what happens constantly and we are under it.

"If you want to beat PSG you have to do both parts better, if you have chances you have to score and you cannot be so easily beaten by the four goals. Throughout the season, it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, you constantly adjust to what you think is necessary to win the next game.

"This is also what the current situation is. So the reaction is not always the same after the 15 losses we have had, you try to react in a way or do the things that we as a staff think are necessary to either challenge them or get them back on track for Wednesday evening."

City ended the game with an xG of 2.44, compared to Liverpool's 1.46. Expected goals are calculated by examining thousands of previous shots from different scenarios to decide whether an effort is likely to go in or not.

Each shot is rated between zero and one depending on the likelihood of the player scoring. If it is ranked as a one, this means it will definitely result in a goal, while a zero means it has no chance at all.

City's win means they will return to Wembley for an FA Cup semi-final.