Arne Slot slammed Liverpool’s “missing fighting spirit” after the 4-0 humiliation by Manchester City that propelled Pep Guardiola’s team into the FA Cup semi-finals.

The manner of the reverse on Saturday will heighten scrutiny of the manager’s future, with Liverpool next at Paris Saint-Germain for Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg. A similar defeat in the tie may prove terminal for Slot.

After a promising start at the Etihad Stadium, the visitors capitulated by conceding four goals in a 21-minute period. Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick, via a 39th-minute penalty, a header in first-half injury time, with his third arriving after 57 minutes. Antoine Semenyo scored City’s other goalto reach an eight consecutive cup semi-final.

A shell-shocked Slot said: “I missed the fighting spirit in the first 10 minutes after half-time. And then afterwards, it was just a game where both teams accepted it was 4-0. But in those 10-15 minutes of time, I missed the fighting spirit - the willingness to win your duel, to be there first, to make it difficult for either a pass or a cross or a finish. That is something we definitely have to do better on Wednesday.”

Dominik Szoboszlai backed his manager’s...