Arne Slot sent blunt Liverpool warning as Mohamed Salah misery says it all - 5 talking points

Erling Haaland was too hot for Liverpool's shaky defense to handle as Man City knocked Arne Slot's side out of the FA Cup. This is what we spotted at the Etihad Stadium.

Mohamed Salah looks dejected during the FA Cup game between Man City and Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium.(Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside via Getty Images)

ETIHAD STADIUM, MANCHESTER // Liverpool fell to its heaviest defeat of the Arne Slot era with its wide-open defense undoing the good work put in during a strong start.

Arne Slot's side had done fairly well in the first half but after Milos Kerkez survived one penalty shout, Virgil van Dijk was not so fortunate. Up stepped Erling Haaland, and the Norwegian, who saw a spot-kick saved by Giorgi Mamardashvili in the league edition of this fixture, made no mistake from 12 yards this time.

By half-time, Haaland had headed home another goal, and that was that. Antoine Semenyo made it three and then Haaland ensured he went home with the match ball. Here are the five things Liverpool.com spotted as the game unfolded.

Mohamed Salah misery

When Mohamed Salah revealed during the international break that he would be leaving at the end of the season, there were many questions. One of them was simple: after a tricky campaign, was there one last big moment?

He missed Egypt's games over the last couple of weeks with an injury, but there was no chance of Salah sitting this one out. His last trip to the Etihad Stadium was one that he was desperate to make an impression in.

In the end, though, it was another reminder of why this summer is the right time for him to move on. Liverpool played a system that will suit Alexander Isak — not yet back from injury after just a couple of team training sessions — but with Salah up top.

That is how to get the best from him — he needs to be as close to goal as possible these days — but Salah missed a big chance early on that Isak would have buried and never looked that likely to score from the spot when James Trafford made a good save.

The mark he left on his last visit to East Manchester was meek, and as the end nears, this was a possible glimpse of where the future lies. This system can work, but probably not with this set of players. That, really, is the story of the season.

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah.(Image: MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Curtis Jones emerges with credit

Curtis Jones couldn't hide his excitement about starting pre-match. "These are the games that you want to play in," he said before the teamsheet had even been officially confirmed. "I'm just a lad who wants to play. I want to help the team and I'm in the team today."

With Alexis Mac Allister not exactly in the best form at the moment and Jones more than deserving of a go, it was a switch that made sense. Only a few days ago, the Argentine was playing for his country in Buenos Aires.

Starting like a house on fire, Jones, like a few of his teammates, seemed to wane in influence as the game went on. He did more than enough to justify his place, though, outshining Ryan Gravenberch, who was quiet alongside him.

Will he keep his spot midweek? He should on this evidence, but there is no guarantee. Jones hasn't been used as frequently as he should have been this term.

Curtis Jones of Liverpool(Image: Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)

Man City sends reminder

When Marc Guehi's name was read out ahead of kick-off, there was a short boo from the Liverpool away end. It wasn't his fault that his move from Crystal Palace fell through at the last second in September, but both he and Semenyo were looked at by the Reds before ending up at the Etihad Stadium.

Given Liverpool's struggles at the back this season, Guehi would have made a difference for Liverpool across the course of the campaign, though no one could have foreseen Ibrahima Konate's troubles or the long-term injury sustained by Giovanni Leoni. Guehi, who has now beaten the Reds five times this season, didn't have much to do here, while Konate and Van Dijk floundered.

Pep Lijnders, too, was another reminder of what could have been. Jurgen Klopp's old assistant was prowling the touchline in the absence of the head coach and he didn't hold back when Manchester City scored, leaping up into the air when Haaland netted his second. That would only make the defeat even more difficult to stomach for the 8,000 or so traveling fans in the away end.

Manchester City's Dutch assistant coach Pepijn Lijnders gestures on the touchline during the English FA Cup quarter final football match between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on April 4, 2026.(Image: Getty)

Defining week for Arne Slot

This is a huge week for Arne Slot in terms of defining how the rest of the season pans out. The FA Cup tie here was one big game, but the matches against PSG and Fulham that are to come are arguably even bigger.

"You assume I have picked my team for Wednesday and Saturday, which I haven't," Slot insisted on TNT Sports before the game. "We go game by game."

Liverpool actually played pretty well for large spells of the first half, and started the first quarter well on top. In a blunt warning ahead of PSG, though, who is capable of being much more explosive and fast-paced than Manchester City, it only took a few minutes for the game to be taken away from the Reds. Once again, it was a familiar issue.

Man City manager Pep Guardiola embraces Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.(Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside via Getty Images)

PSG worry increases

In a season that has been troubling in the main, the FA Cup and the Champions League were the two tournaments left to salvage something in. It was unfortunate, then, that Liverpool got the hardest possible draws in each.

Manchester City has not lost a game in this competition outside of fixtures at Wembley since February 2018, while PSG is the European holder and the side that hammered the Reds in Paris last season — albeit the scoreline didn't reflect that.

To stand a chance on Wednesday, Liverpool will have to improve again. It will need to be perfect in all departments to avoid defeat at the Parc des Princes. The chances of it cutting out defensive errors, though, appear slim.

There were positives to take from the start of the game at the Etihad, but they were comfortably outweighed by yet more reasons for concern.