Virgil van Dijk believes Liverpool “gave up” during their FA Cup defeat at Manchester City and has apologised to fans for the woeful performance that heightens the pressure on Arne Slot.

A dejected Liverpool captain was unsparing in his assessment of the heaviest defeat of Slot’s reign and claimed it will be difficult for the team to recover for Wednesday’s Champions League quarter final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain.

The admission that Liverpool effectively threw in the towel at the Etihad, where they conceded four goals in 18 minutes either side of the break, reflects badly on Slot in his attempts to salvage the Reds’ campaign. The Premier League champions have now lost 15 games in all competitions this season, excluding the Community Shield.

“It’s on us,” Van Dijk said. “The fans were there to support us and I can only apologise to the fans for what we have shown, especially the second half. It’s difficult. Mentally it has been a very tough season overall.

“You come out of the dressing room with the right intentions to score and make it 2-1 and change the game, but the opposite happened and then to come back from 3-0 is obviously...