Liverpool went to the Etihad on Saturday with hope of reaching Wembley. They left with a 4-0 defeat, their FA Cup run over, and more uncomfortable truths laid bare.
The scoreline was emphatic. The manner of it was worse. For a little over half an hour, Liverpool were in the game. Then it unravelled in a brutal spell either side of half-time, and there was no route back.
This was not a freak result. It felt like a pattern repeating itself against a side that has now beaten Liverpool three times this season. Liverpool had travelled to the Etihad with real belief after a strong build-up to the tie, as our FA Cup quarter-final preview made clear.
How the game was won and lost
For 37 minutes, there was not much between the teams. Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike looked lively, and Mohamed Salah forced a sharp sliding save as Liverpool threatened without taking control.
Then came the decisive moment.
Virgil van Dijk was judged to have fouled Nico O’Reilly in the box, and Erling Haaland converted the penalty. From there, Liverpool lost their shape, their composure and, soon after, the tie.
Within 11 minutes of the opener, City were 3-0 up. Haaland headed in a second in first-half stoppage time, Antoine Semenyo added a third soon after the break, and Haaland completed his hat-trick before the hour with a finish off the bar.
Liverpool were later given a penalty of their own, but Salah’s effort was saved by James Trafford. It summed up an afternoon when almost nothing went right. 
What the players and manager said
The post-match reaction was revealing because it was so honest.
Dominik Szoboszlai did not hide behind excuses. He said the fighting spirit and mentality were not there, and admitted Liverpool were nowhere near the level required. Arne Slot struck a similar note, saying the first 35 minutes showed the team he wanted to see, but that the defending in the spell that followed was nowhere near good enough. He also admitted he missed the fighting spirit at the start of the second half. 
Van Dijk, whose foul led to the opening goal, also spoke bluntly afterwards. He said the defeat was very difficult to accept, apologised to supporters, and admitted Liverpool effectively gave up once the game ran away from them. 
What the performance exposed
This was not only about individual mistakes, though there were enough of them.
More worrying was the lack of structure once City took control. Liverpool looked caught between two ideas. They did not press with enough conviction to disrupt City, but nor did they defend deep enough to protect the space behind them. The midfield was bypassed too easily, and the back line was repeatedly left exposed by direct running and quick combinations.
For a side that once built its identity on intensity, organisation and collective edge, that was the most troubling part of the afternoon.
The result also carried broader weight. It was Liverpool’s 15th defeat of the season, their highest total in a campaign since 2014-15. 
What comes next
The FA Cup is gone, so Liverpool have no time to dwell on it.
Next comes a huge Champions League quarter-final first leg away to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday 8 April, before the second leg at Anfield on Tuesday 14 April. Both games kick off at 8pm BST. 
It is a different competition and a different setting, but the same questions now follow this side. Can Liverpool recover their discipline, their edge and their belief quickly enough to respond in Paris?
The players have admitted the standards were not good enough. The only meaningful answer now is to show a reaction when it matters most.
