Liverpool

Shamoon Hafez
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Arne Slot's side had won only one of their previous four games coming into this FA Cup tie and, after a bright first half hour, they were swept aside by Manchester City in a manner that will lead to more questions about the Dutchman's future.

Many of the 8,000-strong travelling support exited the stadium to head back along the M62 long before the final whistle and now Liverpool only have the Champions League as a possible trophy this season.

Mohamed Salah is one of Liverpool and the Premier League's greatest players, but this was a day to forget for the Egypt forward.

He dwelled too long on a good opportunity after a clearance by Giorgi Mamardashvili to allow Abdukodir Khusanov to get back and block his strike and was then thwarted by James Trafford with a weak shot from an angle.

His dismal day was complete when the new England goalkeeper dived to his left to keep out a spot-kick that was well-struck but at a good height for Trafford.

Virgil van Dijk has been one of Liverpool's best players in a season of very few good performers for the reigning league champions but the Netherlands centre-back has had a handful of poor games - and this was another.

He crudely chopped down Nico O'Reilly for City's opener and was caught out when Antoine Semenyo darted in behind him for his goal.

This has been a thoroughly wretched campaign for the Reds and before they resume their battle to qualify for next season's Champions League, Slot's out-of-form side face a daunting trip to holders Paris St-Germain in the quarter-finals of Europe's elite competition on Wednesday.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot speaking to BBC Sport: "Disappointment about the result, disappointment about going out and very disappointed about the 20 minutes where we conceded four goals.

"The way we defended in that period, you will never be able to win a game of football."

On what he thought when the game was goalless on 38 minutes: "I liked a lot I saw today. We did a lot very well on and off the ball, generated some good chances. We kept them away from any danger. Until that penalty moment there was a lot to like.

"The 20 minutes after, for what you can expect of a Liverpool team were far from good enough defensively.

"There are many reoccurring themes. One is we miss our chances, one is in general we don't concede much but the few chances we concede go in. That is maybe due to how much we put in. We have to improve the box defending and that was also shown today."

On conceding just before half-time: "The 2-0 is a killer but you are still in the game if you can score a goal in the second half but that was our poorest of the game, the first 10 minutes of the second half when we conceded two goals. Those are things we need to improve.

"We were having the 10 worst minutes of the game. There is a worry they can score more, but that's not what happened. We got chances including a penalty but we couldn't convert one."

On his players needing to show character against PSG: "That's what Liverpool players have to do, we have to react to this defeat and this disappointing season. There is a chance for us on Wednesday.

"We have shown today for only 35 minutes that we can compete. We can take positives from those 35 minutes but if we defend like the 20 minutes afterwards we will gave a big problem. That is what we have to address."

Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai speaking to TNT Sports: "I don't know. When you do something and there is no result for it it makes no sense. We had chances and missed them, we conceded an easy penalty. We lose 4-0. We cannot concede as much as we concede. Nothing else to say.

"It's hard to win here. After 1-0 down you still believe. At 2-0 down, it's our own fault to come in at half-time conceding in the last minute another goal. At 2-0 the chances are lower and lower.

"You come out and want to show we are able to come back and you concede a third one, from then on, there is no more chance to come back."

On what was missing: "The fighting spirit wasn't there enough, the mentality wasn't there enough. None of us were there to be honest as much as we could.

"It's a hard time but we have to stick together. On Wednesday there is another chance but we have to get in our head this is not the season we would like to end."

On why the mentality wasn't there: "That's a good question. I don't know. It's hard to find words to be honest. We wanted this one so much. You lose 4-0 at City and it's not the best."

On trying to bounce back in the Champions League in the last bid for a trophy this season: "We have to forget as much as we can and as soon as we can and just keep on fighting all the time.

"I always say when we do it and we are winning, when we don't do it we are losing. You have to fight, work hard, be there for each other and that's what we are missing sometimes."

You can listen to Arne Slot above or on BBC Sounds here.

Did you know?

• Liverpool have now lost 15 matches across all competitions this season, their most defeats in a single season since 2014/15, when the Reds lost 18 matches under Brendan Rodgers.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Manchester City's performance

What did you make of Liverpool's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola makes just one change to their triumphant Carabao Cup final side that beat Arsenal at Wembley last time out.

England centre-back Marc Guehi, who could well have been lining up for the opposition this lunchtime, was cup-tied for that game and comes back in for Nathan Ake.

Neither Ruben Dias nor John Stones are involved, but there is a place on the bench for Mateo Kovacic who has missed most of the season with an ankle injury.

Man City XI: Trafford, Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, O'Reilly, Rodri, Silva, Semenyo, Doku, Cherki, Haaland.

Subs: Donnarumma, Ake, Foden, Ait-Nouri, Gonzalez, Kovacic, Marmoush, Savinho, Reijnders

Liverpool boss Arne Slot makes three changes to the side beaten by Brighton before the international break.

Mohamed Salah returns to the starting line-up for the first time since announcing he will be leaving the Reds at the end of the season, with Joe Gomez and Curtis Jones also coming in.

Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister and Jeremie Frimpong make way. British record signing Alexander Isak is not involved as he makes his way back to fitness following a broken leg.

Liverpool XI: Mamardashvili, Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Wirtz, Jones, Salah, Ekitike.

Subs: Woodman, Chiesa, Frimpong, Gakpo, Mac Allister, Morrison, Ngumoha, Nyoni, Robertson

There are three FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, including an all-Premier League clash, and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Manchester City v Liverpool (12:45)

• Chelsea v Port Vale (17:15)

• Southampton v Arsenal (20:00)

Kick-off times BST

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on most smart speakers.

Find out more about how to listen to football on BBC Sounds

It seems a section of Liverpool fans are not convinced by Arne Slot and the Reds' poor Premier League form before the international break has put him under more pressure.

Liverpool have taken one point from their past three games and their last performance, in an away defeat at Brighton, was really insipid.

I still think it would be extremely harsh if they end up parting ways after the guy won them the title in his first year in the job but this feels like a huge week or two for Slot, and for Liverpool's whole campaign, with the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Paris St-Germain to come in France on Wednesday.

Right now, Liverpool are miles off the team they were last season and beating City probably feels more achievable than getting past PSG.

I'm not convinced they will do it though, and if they end up going out of both competitions in the space of 10 days then the Liverpool fans are going to be even more disgruntled.

City are already out of Europe, and it will be hard, but not impossible, for them to win the Premier League from here, but Pep Guardiola has already landed the Carabao Cup and he always takes the FA Cup seriously anyway.

They are looking to extend their own record by reaching the semi-final for the eighth successive season and, if they get to the final, they will be the first team to make it to four in a row.

City could really do with getting Erling Haaland firing again, while this is Liverpool's first game since Mohamed Salah announced he will be leaving at the end of the season.

There are so many different ways to look at this tie, and who might step up to win it for either team, but City are at home and they have also beaten Liverpool twice already this season in the league. I just have a feeling they will take this one as well.

Sutton's prediction: 3-1

Read the full predictions and have your say

The Late Challenge Podcast's Mo Stewart spoke on BBC Radio Merseyside about Liverpool's next game in the FA Cup against Manchester City on Saturday.

Stewart said: "The FA Cup is, as we sit here today, the trophy Liverpool are most likely to win when you look at who is in the Champions League and where they are in the Premier League.

"So this is a massive game for Liverpool to be able to go out there and put down a real marker.

"If Liverpool were to win this game, then obviously that can be a real springboard of positivity, which may well be able to hopefully take into the Paris St-Germain game.

"Then maybe and I say maybe, because we haven't seen a lot of it recently, where one good result breeds two and three and four."

Listen to the BBC Radio Merseyside FA Cup special

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Liverpool boss Arne Slot has been speaking to the media before Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester City at Etihad Stadium (12:45 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Slot confirmed Mohamed Salah is fit and available to start in what would be his first appearance since announcing he will leave the club at the end of the season.

• Goalkeeper Alisson is set to miss the tie against Paris St-Germain in the Champions League and be out until "towards the end of the season", while Jeremie Frimpong "trained with us and seems to be OK".

• Alexander Isak returned to training this week and could play "maybe a few minutes" on Saturday but the game comes "too soon" for him to start: "It will take a bit of time to give him a lot of minutes but we will make sure we do the right thing to build him up. It is a good thing to have him on the training ground, even better to get him on the pitch."

• More on record signing Isak's return: "Rehab did a great job, I see a player much stronger, in a better place but 100 days off to the intensity of the Premier League and Champions League, what is realistic to expect is difficult. I am happy I have a nine available again behind Hugo [Ekitike] or together with him, that's already a positive. I said many times, when he's had a proper pre-season, we can expect more for him but what we have now is already a big step forward."

• On Salah: "Mo has always given everything he's got for this club. I would hope he could give even more but that's not realistic because he's always done that and he will try to do that until the end of the season."

• On facing City after losing twice against them in the league: "I think we have felt this season multiple times how important it is to get a lead, we have struggled with that. It's much easier than being 1 or 2-0 up. Scoring goals is vital, so I am happy Alex is back. We have more fans than normal because it is FA Cup and I wouldn't be surprised if we're louder than them!"

• More on the Reds' inconsistency: "We've shown we have quality players but the amount of games is the biggest issue, so it is interesting to see where we are. We played much better at home and didn't deserve to lose against City. A big referee decision in that one as well - the [Marc] Guehi tackle on Salah that wasn't a red card, didn't go our way."

Follow all of Friday's FA Cup news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Got a question about Liverpool? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts

Ian Dennis
BBC Radio 5 Live senior football reporter

This next week could be quite a defining period, I think, for Arne Slot because the Liverpool supporters, a number of them are not happy with him.

Therefore, if he was to go out of the FA Cup and then suffer a heavy defeat in the Champions League, that could be quite damaging for him.

We saw what Paris St-Germain are capable of against Chelsea. They knocked out Liverpool last season in this competition when it went to penalties after being 1-0 to the away side in each of the two legs.

Liverpool will certainly need to keep that second leg alive for the return at Anfield. They should have been well beaten in Paris yet won it with Harvey Elliott's goal, Elliott scored the goal and Alisson said it was the best night of his professional career - I think it was something like 14 saves that he made in the Parc des Princes.

That was a brilliant match. I hope this next instalment was good as that one was because that was a real edge-of-the-seat job.

Listen to Ian debate Slot and more on The Commentators' View podcast

Gareth Roberts from the The Late Challenge podcast has been speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside about Mohamed Salah's Liverpool legacy.

There has been debate this week on where Salah ranks in Liverpool's list of all-time great players. Ex-Red Jamie Carragher put the Egyptian sixth on a list topped by Steven Gerrard., external

Watch the video above or listen to the Liverpool special from BBC Radio Merseyside here

Image source, Getty Images

With just seven fixtures left to play out in the Premier League this season, Liverpool will be hoping to finish in a Champions League qualification spot and maybe even claim some silverware.

It hasn't been the title defence of dreams for the Reds, but they are about to embark on an important run of games in the FA Cup, Champions League and Premier League.

However, we asked for your views on Liverpool's top-five chances earlier this week and some of you were quite pessimistic.

The Late Challenge podcast's Mo Stewart has also shared his stance on head coach Arne Slot on BBC Radio Merseyside's FA Cup special: "The club has to be carrying out a level of due diligence at this precise moment.

"I feel that simply because Xabi Alonso, who most people believed was one of the prime candidates, is currently sitting around twiddling his thumbs.

"If Liverpool don't qualify for the Champions League, most people will be expecting a change in manager. The club have to start making plans for that eventuality now, even if they don't want that to be the eventuality.

"For me, it would be negligent of the club to not have had any conversations with Xabi Alonso around any kind of hypothetical appointment.

"I still don't believe there will be a mid-season managerial change, but I'm getting further and further down the line in thinking that this might be Arne Slot's last season as Liverpool manager."

Author Steven Scragg added: "If Slot wins the FA Cup and finishes fourth by the skin of his teeth, I still think the club would feel valid in making a managerial change.

"If he wins the Champions League off the back of winning the Premier League last season, you just cannot sack a Champions League-winning manager."

Watch the show here or listen on BBC Radio Merseyside

Image source, Getty Images

Thirty years on from Liverpool beating Newcastle 4-3 in one of the Premier League's greatest ever matches, former Reds player Jason McAteer, former Magpies defender Steve Howey, the Anfield Wrap's Ian Ryan and the Athletic's George Caulkin join Alistair Bruce-Ball on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily to reflect on a true classic.

"A game like that kind of takes a life of its own", recalled McAteer.

"From the first whistle you could sense it wasn't going to be a normal game.

"Being a Liverpool fan and witnessing some of the great European nights at Anfield, it was like a European game. The noise under the lights - footballers will tell you they love playing on a Wednesday night coming into summer. It's brilliant.

"The game took a life of its own. I'm sure both managers were trying to get their tactical approach across at the time but nobody was listening because you didn't have a chance to listen.

"It was just 100 miles an hour, it was brilliant."

Both teams had led the game before, with the score level at 3-3, Stan Collymore thundered in a dramatic stoppage-time winner to spark the iconic image of Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan slumped over the advertising hoardings.

"The game deserved a winner and it could have come from either team," McAteer added.

"It was like two heavyweights just throwing haymakers at each other and just taking them.

"It was just whoever was going to be left standing at the final whistle and fortunately it was us. When Stan scored that winner such a rush of adrenaline came over me. I don't know where I found the energy but I ran straight across the pitch and just remember thinking 'we must have the day off tomorrow'!

"I don't think it will be beaten. It was such a great game to play in."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

On the latest episode of the Wayne Rooney Show, Roy Hodgson reflected on his short time in charge at Liverpool.

When asked which club he wished he had more time at, he said: "I suppose it'd have to be Liverpool because that went very badly.

"When the chance came my way I would have been hopeful that would last longer and [would have] been more successful.

"It was a transition period I suppose. The club was transitioning from [Rafa] Benitez and two American owners to new American owners who were very interested in what the fans thought and who they thought should be the manager.

"And also it was a transition with the players because some of the players who were there, in particular [Javier] Mascherano and [Fernando] Torres they weren't really wanting to be there anymore.

"It took a time. It was only when [Brendan] Rodgers came in, and they started to change the squad a bit that it opened out."

Listen to the Wayne Rooney Show

Harry Holmes
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

With the final international break of the season wrapped up, the 48 teams set to compete in this summer's World Cup have been decided.

The likes of Virgil van Dijk, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak can be looking forward to competing for international football's top prize.

For those that haven't qualified, it means a longer period of rest over the summer and being available for a full pre-season with total focus on Liverpool.

Not qualified for the 2026 World Cup:

Dominik Szoboszlai, Milos Kerkez (Hungary) - failed to make the World Cup play-offs after defeat by the Republic of Ireland in November.

Conor Bradley (Northern Ireland) - lost to Italy in the play-off semi-finals last week and Bradley's long-term knee injury has kept the right-back out of action since January.

Federico Chiesa, Giovanni Leoni (Italy) - lost on penalties to Bosnia-Herzegovina in the play-off final on Tuesday. Chiesa had been called up but withdrew from the squad and Leoni remains sidelined with an ACL injury suffered in October.

Giorgi Mamardashvili (Georgia) - failed to make the World Cup play-offs after finishing behind Spain and Turkey in their qualifying group.

Curtis Jones and Joe Gomez have both been left out of consecutive England squads and look increasingly unlikely to be competing in North America, whilst Rio Ngumoha has only been involved at youth level.

International managers of the sides competing will be selecting their final squads closer to the tournament.

Players that do not get called up will be joining those that haven't qualified in watching the World Cup from home.

Morgan Rogers would be open to leaving Aston Villa this summer, with Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United all in the mix to sign the 23-year-old England midfielder. (Sun), external

RB Leipzig have put a £87m price tag on 18-year-old Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande, who is a target for Liverpool and Manchester United. (Sky Sports), external

The Saudi Pro League is stepping up its pursuit of 33-year-old Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah and is increasingly confident of securing an agreement before this summer's World Cup. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on Alexander Isak returning to first-team training this week after being sidelined for three months with an ankle injury and fibula fracture.

Do you see the striker having a crucial part to play in the latter stages of this season or do you believe he needs a full pre-season to hit the ground running?

Here are some of your thoughts:

Mark: While it is good to have Isak back, he is unlikely to be fully up to speed for the remainder of the season. He is a nice option to bring on for 20 minutes from the bench, if needed, as Arne Slot doesn't seem to trust Federico Chiesa. However, I don't expect to see much from him until next season.

Ian: I'd prefer Isak to take longer to fully recover. He is injury-prone and maybe that's because he is always pushed to return early. Let's leave him to recover properly, have a great World Cup and return on a high at full-strength.

James: Having Isak back is obviously great, but it gives Slot the same old headache he had at the start of the season. Will he drop Mohamed Salah, during his goodbye parade, for the remainder of the season regardless of form? I can't see it. I really want Isak to get going, but his main focus will undoubtedly be getting fit for the World Cup and I'm hoping he gets selected for that squad. That might be a blessing for Liverpool, who will need his goals next season.

Osian: Isak will be worth most of, if not all, the money we spent on him. I remember watching his goal against West Ham, after coming back from his first injury, and just thinking: 'This is a proper striker'. It's just the way he scored with almost no thought-process that proved and justified his price tag to me.

Billy: I get the excitement but he was really poor when he played, don't forget that!

Yusuf: This is his pre-season heading into next season. I reckon we will see flashes and hopefully we can try a system with him, Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz playing together in the final games of the season. Slot has done many things wrong this season, but one thing he should do right is get his big money signing's shooting boots on. I reckon Isak can get three or four goals, which will bring his confidence back for next season.

Paul Salt presents a special BBC Radio Merseyside programme looking ahead to Liverpool's FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester City on Saturday.

Guests include Mo Stewart and Gareth Roberts, from the Late Challenge podcast, and author Steven Scragg.

Watch the show with BBC Sport here or listen on BBC Radio Merseyside

Image source, Getty Images

Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard says he told Mohamed Salah earlier this season not to leave the club "under a cloud".

Salah claimed he had been "thrown under the bus" by Reds boss Arne Slot during an incendiary post-match interview in December after being an unused substitute in a 3-3 draw at Leeds.

It was the third successive Premier League game Salah had started on the bench amid a decline in individual performances and a difficult run of results for the team.

"I spoke to him around that interview at the time and sort of said to him, 'don't do what you've done and go under a cloud'," said Gerrard, speaking on The Overlap podcast.

"I spoke to him direct. He texts me now and again, or I text him - more to do with if I'm going somewhere with Lio [Gerrard's son], just so Lio can see him, really, but I'm not like close to him.

"But it gave me the opportunity to say to him, 'look, you've been here eight, nine years, you've been king here, you've got this legacy, just go on your terms, the right way'.

"He was still a little bit emotional from the incident. He was in and out of the team at the time, he was upset. I just thought it would be a shame if he left in January and he just left [without a goodbye]."

Since the interview, Salah has played at the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt and returned to the Liverpool fold with Slot insisting the pair's relationship is "as normal as it's always been".

Asked if he was shocked by news of Salah's imminent departure, Gerrard added: "No, not at all. I think it's in everyone's best interests now. I think the timing's right.

"He's obviously had a disagreement with the manager. I don't know at what level. He's obviously done the interview, which I think he'll regret further down the line. But that told that there was an issue there."

Salah has been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League or Major League Soccer but Gerrard believes he can still compete at the highest level.

"Knowing him, the relationship I've got with him, he'll still have himself down as one of the best players in the world," he added.

"I think that's his mentality, and there are good players, top players, and then those ones at the top that are a little bit freakish in terms of their mentality and how they think.

"He's one of them, where he's just: I'm the best, I'm the best, I'm the best."

Image source, Getty Images

Alexander Isak will return to first-team training this week, three months on from picking up an ankle injury and fibula fracture, and Liverpool fan Adam Beattie believes the summer signing could be "an exciting option off the bench" in the closing stages of the season.

The 26-year-old Swede, a British-record £125m signing, has been sidelined since scoring in Liverpool's win over Tottenham back in December.

"His return is quicker than I thought it was going to be," Beattie told BBC Radio Merseyside. "I had mentally written this season off for him.

"I expected him to return around late April or early May, which is when the season is either petering out or there is everything to play for all at once.

"Alexander Isak is an exciting option to have off the bench, definitely.

"I believe the reason Hugo Ekitike's form has dipped a bit is because he has been so heavily relied upon [this season]. When Liverpool bought him, I doubt the plan was for him to be the focal point of our attack week in, week out.

"It will be good to be able to interchange Isak and Ekitike - and maybe even see them on the pitch at the same time.

"But, over the next couple of weeks, I expect it to be more of a substitute scenario for him as we've got big games coming up. I also don't think we will see him on Saturday [against Manchester City].

"Arne Slot thinks he has a chance of being at that Paris St-Germain game though, and I don't think he would say that if he didn't think it was an option."

We want your views on Isak's return to training too - does he have a part to play this season or does he need a full pre-season to get into the swing of things?

Listen to the full conversation on BBC Sounds

Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea are keeping tabs on 27-year-old Barcelona and France defender Jules Kounde. (Mundo Deportivo - in Spanish), external

Inter Milan and Netherlands right-back Denzel Dumfries has been offered to Premier League clubs including Liverpool, Newcastle United, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham. (Teamtalk), external

Liverpool and Manchester United are pursuing a move for 19-year-old RB Leipzig and Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande. (Sportsboom), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Liverpool are keen on Juventus' 23-year-old Portugal winger Francisco Conceicao as a replacement for Mohamed Salah. (Gazzetta - in Italian), external

Meanwhile, Reds forward Hugo Ekitike has climbed sharply up Real Madrid's wishlist following his impressive debut season at Anfield. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport