This revised report brings the main sporting context around Dominik Szoboszlai Said Liverpool Lacked ‘Fighting Spirit’ in 4-0 Manchester City FA Cup Defeat into a clearer, easier-to-follow format while keeping the facts from the original article.
Dominik Szoboszlai delivered one of the bluntest Liverpool assessments of the 2025/26 season after the club’s 4-0 FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Manchester City.
The Hungary captain said Liverpool’s “fighting spirit” and mentality had not been good enough.
Head coach Arne Slot did not fully agree that the problem lasted for the entire match, but he accepted that Liverpool badly lacked intensity during the spell in which City moved decisively clear.
The result
Manchester City beat Liverpool 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium on 4 April 2026.
The scorers
Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick and Antoine Semenyo added City’s other goal.
Why the score was such a shock
Liverpool had competed reasonably well early in the match and were not under constant pressure from kick-off.
City’s first goal
Haaland converted a penalty in the 39th minute.
The second before half-time
Haaland struck again in stoppage time.
Why that second goal was psychologically important
Going into the dressing room 2-0 down meant Liverpool needed to take risks immediately after the restart.
What happened after half-time?
City scored twice more in quick succession.
Semenyo’s goal
Antoine Semenyo made it 3-0 shortly after the break.
Haaland’s third
Haaland completed his hat-trick before the hour.
Szoboszlai’s criticism
After the match, Szoboszlai said Liverpool had not shown enough fighting spirit or the right mentality.
Why a player saying this is significant
Managers often protect players publicly.
A senior player openly questioning collective mentality suggests the dressing room itself recognised a serious problem.
Did Slot agree?
Partly.
Slot said he did not believe Liverpool lacked fight from the opening whistle.
Where did Slot think the problem was?
He highlighted roughly the first 10 to 15 minutes of the second half.
Why that spell mattered most
City turned a 2-0 lead into 4-0 while Liverpool’s duelling, concentration and defensive resistance collapsed.
Slot’s emphasis on duels
He said Liverpool needed to arrive first, make passes and crosses harder and show greater willingness in one-to-one situations.
What does “fighting spirit” mean tactically?
It is not simply running aggressively or making reckless tackles.
It can mean tracking a runner, recovering after losing possession, competing for second balls and maintaining concentration when the score turns against you.
Why it is easy to use the phrase too vaguely
“Lack of fight” can become a catch-all explanation for any bad result.
Good analysis identifies specific moments where effort or concentration dropped.
City’s third and fourth goals
Those goals were the strongest evidence supporting the criticism because City moved through Liverpool with too little resistance.
Liverpool’s throw-ins
Slot was frustrated that his team conceded after situations that began with Liverpool in possession, including throw-ins.
Why transition defence matters
A team can be vulnerable immediately after losing the ball because its shape is designed for attack rather than defence.
Why City punish transitions
Players such as Haaland and Semenyo attack open space quickly.
Senior players
Slot resisted singling out individual veterans when asked whether he needed more from senior figures.
Why that was notable
Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk were among the established leaders who endured difficult moments.
Salah’s penalty miss
James Trafford saved Salah’s second-half penalty.
Why the miss added to the mood
It removed one of Liverpool’s clearest chances to restore a degree of pride in the scoreline.
Van Dijk’s penalty concession
The Liverpool captain was involved in the challenge that led to City’s opener.
Why one mistake does not explain 4-0
City scored three additional goals and repeatedly exploited collective space.
Szoboszlai’s role
As one of Liverpool’s most athletic and vocal midfielders, his criticism carried particular weight.
Why players sometimes speak more bluntly after heavy losses
A major defeat can remove the usual temptation to soften the message.
Was effort Liverpool’s only problem?
No.
Finishing, tactical spacing, defensive transitions and City’s quality all mattered.
Chance creation
Liverpool had opportunities but failed to score.
Season-long issue
Slot said Liverpool had scored too few goals relative to the chances created across the season.
Why finishing can affect mentality
Teams that repeatedly miss chances can become frustrated and more vulnerable when the opponent scores first.
Supporters leaving early
Large numbers of Liverpool fans left before the final whistle after City went 4-0 ahead.
Slot’s response to supporters
He said the team needed to perform better if it wanted fans to stay.
Why that was another sign of the mood
Travelling supporters had begun the match loudly but were given little reason to believe in a comeback.
The next match
Liverpool’s immediate challenge was a Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain.
Why the timing was brutal
There was little opportunity to rebuild confidence gradually.
What Slot wanted to change
He said the team needed a stronger response in duels and mentality in the next game.
Why Champions League football changes the calculation
A two-leg tie offers more time than a single FA Cup match, but poor concentration can still make the second leg impossible.
Why Szoboszlai’s quote became a headline
It turned a tactical defeat into a question of character.
Why that can be uncomfortable for a manager
A tactical problem is something a coach can potentially fix with shape or selection.
A perceived mentality problem suggests a deeper issue with collective response.
But mentality is not permanent
The same players can show different levels of resilience from one game to the next.
Why “fighting spirit” should not become an insult
Players can be criticised for performance without being accused of not caring about the club or supporters.
Professional effort versus visible intensity
A team can work hard overall yet still fail to react quickly enough during decisive moments.
Why City deserve credit too
Liverpool’s collapse was not occurring in isolation.
City were sharp enough to recognise and exploit the opening.
Haaland’s efficiency
The striker punished mistakes ruthlessly, which made every lapse look worse on the scoreboard.
What the result did to Liverpool’s season
It ended their FA Cup hopes and increased the importance of the Champions League.
Why Szoboszlai’s words are more useful than anonymous dressing-room claims
He spoke publicly and directly after the match.
Conclusion
Szoboszlai’s “fighting spirit” criticism captured the emotional truth of Liverpool’s worst spell at the Etihad.
Slot offered a more precise version: Liverpool competed early, but after the interval they stopped winning enough duels and allowed City to turn 2-0 into 4-0 with alarming ease.
The result was therefore not simply about desire or tactics. It was the combination of missed chances, poor transition defence, reduced intensity and an opponent capable of punishing every weakness.
Sources and further reading
See Liverpool FC’s full Arne Slot press-conference transcript and The Guardian’s post-match report.
Why Szoboszlai’s comments were also about standards
Liverpool had recently been champions, so the midfielder was not comparing the team with an average Premier League standard. He was comparing the performance with what he believed Liverpool players should produce in a major knockout match.
Why mentality and tactics interact
A tactical system can put players in the right positions, but individuals still have to react quickly when possession changes. Conversely, even highly motivated players can be exposed if the structure leaves too much space.
What “winning duels” actually involves
It includes first contact, body position, anticipation and recovery effort. A player can lose a duel without lacking commitment, but repeated passive defending can look like a mentality problem because the opponent reaches every decisive ball first.
Why Liverpool’s midfield was under scrutiny
City’s ability to progress through central areas placed pressure on Liverpool’s midfielders to close passing lanes while also protecting the defence. Once distances stretched, the task became much harder.
Why Szoboszlai’s athletic profile makes his view interesting
He is one of Liverpool’s strongest runners and is often asked to press aggressively. His criticism therefore came from a player whose own role depends heavily on intensity and recovery work.
Why frustration after 4-0 can sharpen language
Players speaking immediately after a heavy defeat are responding emotionally as well as analytically. That does not invalidate the comments, but it is one reason to compare them with the manager’s calmer tactical breakdown.
Why Slot narrowed the problem to a specific period
His interpretation preserved the idea that Liverpool’s opening approach had merit while identifying a short collapse as decisive. That can be more useful for coaching because it points to an exact phase to review on video.
Why the opening 35 minutes still matter
If Liverpool had been completely overrun from kick-off, the conclusion would be that the entire plan failed. Because the game was competitive early, the bigger lesson concerns how the side responded once momentum turned.
Why scoring first changes perception of effort
A team that goes ahead can defend with confidence and control space. The team that concedes may start chasing, which creates more sprints, more risk and more visible mistakes.
Why fans reacted so strongly
Supporters can accept losing to elite opponents. What tends to generate anger is the sense that the team stopped making the contest difficult once the score moved away from them.
What Liverpool needed next
The practical response was not a speech about passion alone. They needed tighter spacing, better duel intensity, more clinical finishing and greater resistance when the next match entered a difficult phase.
