A wave of Liverpool supporters, filled with anger, left the Etihad Stadium as their team was mercilessly crushed by Manchester City, an image that further increases the pressure on manager Arne Slot.
Liverpool experienced one of their worst matches of the season with a heavy defeat Manchester City 0-4 in the FA Cup quarter-finals. The heavy loss caused many away fans to leave the Etihad Stadium from the 60th minute onward, while the pressure on manager Arne Slot continues to mount.
The turning point came early when Virgil van Dijk fouled Nico O’Reilly inside the penalty area. From the resulting penalty spot, Erling Haaland easily opened the scoring. Before the first half ended, the Norwegian striker completed a double with a precise header, doubling the lead.
In the second half, Man City did not slow down. Antoine Semenyo capitalized on Rayan Cherki's through ball to make it 3-0. Just minutes later, Haaland completed his hat-trick with a shot that hit the crossbar and flew into the net, sealing a 4-0 victory for the home team.
A stream of red-shirted fans began pouring out of the emergency exits, while Man City supporters in the stands celebrated wildly with their familiar Poznan dance. Those Liverpool fans who stayed, perhaps hoping for some consolation, saw their team awarded a penalty. But if the scoreline was already disappointing, the weak penalty kick from club legend Mohamed Salah made things even more awkward, as it was easily saved by James Trafford.
This series of disastrous events is clearly a nightmare for Arne Slot, who is already under immense pressure in his role as Liverpool undergoes a season deemed below expectations.
His team has lost three consecutive matches in the Premier League recently, including defeats to struggling lower-table opponents like Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur. And things likely became even more unpleasant for Slot when the home crowd chanted in unison that he would "be sacked in the morning."
In the context of Xabi Alonso being heavily linked with the position at Anfield, Slot's disastrous performance is making the situation increasingly worse for him. According to multiple sources, Alonso also has interest in the job at Anfield.
If results do not improve soon, there is a high likelihood of changes on Liverpool's coaching bench before the season ends.