Slot's Damning Assessment: Salah's Penalty Miss Epitomises Liverpool's Capitulation at City

Arne Slot has pinpointed the precise moment Liverpool's campaign truly unravelled: when Mohamed Salah fired his penalty wide at the Etihad on Saturday afternoon.

The Reds shipped a humbling 4-0 defeat in the FA Cup quarter-final, with Erling Haaland bagging a hat-trick and Antoine Semenyo adding gloss to Pep Guardiola's masterclass. Salah's spot-kick represented a consolation that never materialised, saved by James Trafford after the Egyptian had already spurned two presentable openings earlier in the contest.

The timing of the miss cuts deeper still. Salah announced during the international break that he'll be departing Anfield when his contract expires, and his execution from 12 yards felt emblematic of a campaign spiralling away from the Merseysiders.

Slot refused to hang the performance on one man's shoulders, but the underlying message was clear. "I wouldn't focus on one player, I would focus on the team and that probably sums up us today but also maybe large parts of the season," he explained post-match. "I think it is the second one he missed and Dominik Szoboszlai also already missed a penalty so it's not only that we miss big chances, this season we have missed a few penalties. In the first half there was a chance for Mo when we played the fast counter attack. Unfortunately that didn't go in and you have to score goals if you want to have a chance to win the game."

The Dutchman's frustration extended to City's ruthless execution during a catastrophic 20-minute spell that essentially settled matters. Liverpool had competed reasonably for the opening 35 minutes, yet conceded twice before the interval—a familiar pattern that's haunted their campaign. "What has been missing for large parts of the season, converting our chances into goals," Slot lamented. "It was an even game up until they scored the penalty and the last time we played here we conceded just before half-time and again today."

The manager acknowledged his side's defensive vulnerabilities during City's purple patch, adding: "The first 35 minutes was the sort of team I would like to see but the 20 minutes after that, we have to defend so, so much better than we were doing today. Not nice to go in at 2-0 just before half-time, not helpful for your mood especially after the season we have had. That was really hard to take. The only good thing was that we didn't concede more."

Ally McCoist, analysing the contest for TNT Sports, offered a damning assessment of Salah's demeanour as he stepped up to the spot. "I didn't fancy him at all," McCoist said. "It's a shame because he looks a shadow of the man that has lit up this league and lit up this country. It's a shame he's going out this way. He doesn't look like a confident man or a confident player at this moment in time."