Dominik Szoboszlai slams 'catastrophic' Liverpool season and warns of Champions League disaster after Manchester City's FA Cup demolition

Liverpool FC v Galatasaray SK - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 Second Leg

Dominik Szoboszlai has delivered a scathing assessment of Liverpool’s current form, labelling their campaign "catastrophic" following a demoralising 4-0 defeat to Manchester City. The Hungarian midfielder pulled no punches after the FA Cup quarter-final exit, warning his team-mates that they risk disappearing from Europe’s elite competitions if things don't change immediately.

Turning point at the Etihad

Liverpool suffered a heavy 4-0 loss to Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals, in a result that exposed the extent of the team’s ongoing difficulties, raising further concerns over the club’s current trajectory. Erling Haaland was the star of the show, converting a penalty in the 39th minute to open the floodgates. He went on to score two more while Antoine Semenyo added another.

Asked if the spot-kick was the turning point in Spíler TV, Szoboszlai replied: "I don't think the penalty was the turning point, rather it was the second goal conceded that changed the game. There is one minute left, and you could go into the half-time at 1-0, and you concede another one before that, it's not a positive thing to come out afterwards feeling like you still have a chance away against Manchester City. Because I think few teams can come back from 2-0 down against City. So I would say the second goal was the turning point."

Manchester City v Liverpool - Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final

No excuses for fatigue

Following the international break, there were suggestions that Liverpool’s squad may have been hampered by travel and fatigue, having just returned from their respective national teams. However, the 23-year-old midfielder was quick to shut down any attempts to justify the performance through external factors, insisting that the squad must take full responsibility for the defeat.

"This cannot be an excuse, they were also in the national team in the same way, and they also played matches in the same way," Szoboszlai told reporters. "If you are not ready, then say so and then you start on the bench. The fact that a person is tired, or that we have to play at 12:45, or that this is an FA Cup match, these are all excuses. I think the better team won, of course it showed, we should have decided the match in the first half because we had our chances."

Champions League disaster looming

With a crucial Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain on the horizon, the pressure is mounting on Arne Slot’s side. Szoboszlai admitted that the club's prestigious status in European football is under threat, both in this season’s knockout stages and in their hopes for qualification next year if their domestic form does not improve.

"We have to pull ourselves together, because if we play like this, we can very quickly forget about the Champions League participation, and next year's Champions League participation as well," the midfielder warned. "So we have to look into ourselves and start thinking about how we can turn this catastrophic season into a season we can remember."

Manchester City v Liverpool - Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final

Growing tensions at Anfield

The heavy defeat has datailed another turbulent chapter in Liverpool's season, which has been plagued by inconsistency on the pitch and unrest off it. Mohamed Salah's missed penalty added to the frustration, while reports following the match indicated that Szoboszlai himself was involved in a confrontation with traveling supporters as emotions boiled over after the final whistle.

Manager Slot also finds himself under increasing scrutiny. Following the 4-0 exit, some sections of the Liverpool fan base reportedly turned on the Dutchman, with chants for potential successors heard at the stadium. As the Reds prepare for a daunting run of fixtures against PSG and Chelsea, the atmosphere around the club remains tense ahead of what Szoboszlai describes as a necessary period of self-reflection.