Slot admits Liverpool lacked fight in their heavy FA Cup defeat to Manchester City | OneFootball

Arne Slot conceded that his Liverpool side lacked the fight required in their 4-0 thrashing to Manchester City in the FA Cup.

Liverpool were knocked out of the competition at the quarter-final stage after an Erling Haaland hat-trick and Antoine Semenyo strike.

And Slot says the 20-minute period of play in which all the goals came were nowhere near good enough.

“In those 20 minutes, the way we defended when we conceded four goals is absolutely not good enough,” the Liverpool boss said.

“It’s a bit of everything. Effort comes first I think. We have to try to make it more difficult for them than we were doing because they are already good players and if you don’t make it difficult for good players, it’s immediately a goal and that’s what we saw four times.

“We missed the fighting spirit definitely in the ten minutes after half time and then afterwards it was just a game where both teams accepted it was 4-0. In that 10-15 minutes of time, we missed willingness to win duels, to be there first, to make it difficult, that is something we definitely have to do better on Wednesday.”

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Slot insists there were positives to take from the way his side started the game, and that it came down to not doing what was required in specific moments.

“I don’t think it was chance after chance after chance,” Slot said.

“When it’s chance after chance conceded, you start to think maybe we should change our game plan or our tactics but if it is moments, which it was because I don’t think they had many more chances than the goals they scored, then it’s about understanding the importance of a moment.

“Understanding that you need to be ruthless in those moments, even if things go against you or you find it a bit mentally hard. 1-0 down after 35 minutes where you feel you were at least equal to the other team, this has happened many times to us so yes mental could be a part of that but it’s never an excuse.

“If you play with this shirt and for this club, being 1-0 down or 2-0 down is never an excuse not to put effort in that specific moment because then it’s almost impossible to get a result against teams of this quality.

“If you let your runner go or you don’t block a shot or cross against players of this level, you can maybe get away with it at a different level but not at this level.”

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