Budapest or bust it is, then, for Liverpool’s hopes of silverware this season and quite possibly Arne Slot’s prospects of remaining in his job, although thoughts of this team reaching a Champions League final appear ludicrous in light of their gutless exit from the FA Cup.

A pity whistle on 90.04 from the referee, Michael Oliver, sounded an appropriate death knell for a pitiful performance by the fading Premier League champions. So much for a shot at redemption for Liverpool and Slot as a defining period of five matches in 16 days commenced in humiliating fashion.

No fight, no character and, unforgivably, precious little effort for the 20 minutes when Manchester City ran riot either side of the interval resulted in the heaviest defeat of Slot’s Liverpool reign. The pressure on the head coach rises again.

A visit to the reigning European champions, Paris Saint-Germain, in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday threatens to turn the screw tighter. Liverpool will do well to keep the contest alive for the return at Anfield on this evidence. Inevitably, the spotlight intensifies on Slot, but what of a group of players – recipients of the highest wage bill in the Premier League last season – who effectively surrendered here on Saturday?

“The fighting spirit wasn’t there enough, the mentality wasn’t there enough,” said Dominik Szoboszlai. “None of us were there as much as we could.” A damning self-assessment.

Liverpool produced a showreel of embarrassments in the first of their two quarter-finals. All four City’s goals were characterised by woeful defending, to the extent it appeared Antoine Semenyo and Erling Haaland walked in the third and fourth. Haaland’s hat-trick was completed by the 57th minute, prompting a mass exodus of Liverpool fans from the upper two tiers of the South Stand. City supporters turned to wave them farewell before celebrating with a mass Poznan.

There was Mohamed Salah’s failure to convert a penalty. His wasteful performance reflected his fading powers. Where was the noise when Liverpool were awarded the penalty for Matheus Nunes’s trip on Hugo Ekitiké? There was none. Oliver’s decision was met with a silent shrug by the home crowd. It was the 63rd minute and City’s place in the semi-final was already a formality.

There was the sight of Ekitiké swapping shirts with his France teammate and City playmaker Rayan Cherki shortly after he was substituted in the 68th minute. The lack of fight, the lack of leadership, captured in one gesture.

Earlier, and less than two minutes after Semenyo had chipped home City’s third, Cherki had strolled past Ekitiké and Milos Kerkez to present the former Bournemouth striker with another chance inside the area. The Liverpool pair barely broke stride in their attempts to stop him.

Liverpool’s efforts were unfathomable, especially considering there had been some encouraging signs until Virgil van Dijk dragged his leg into the back of Nico O’Reilly’s ankles to concede a clear penalty in the 37th minute. It was the fourth penalty Liverpool’s struggling, overworked captain has conceded in 46 appearances this season. He had conceded four in his previous 319 appearances for the club.

Liverpool’s frontline had stretched City with Ekitike stationed on the left, Salah drifting inside, Florian Wirtz given licence to roam and Szoboszlai advancing at every opportunity. But James Trafford, City’s Cup keeper, was not seriously tested in the first half and the openings that did arise were squandered by Salah and Ekitike. Quick to regroup and drop in numbers when out of possession, Liverpool had contained City in what had been an even tie before Haaland punished them from the penalty spot for the second meeting in succession.

All of which made Liverpool’s reaction to falling behind inexcusable. The nature of the subsequent collapse was disgraceful, Slot’s worst nightmare writ large in a competition that offered a chance to salvage a season of decline.

Liverpool had six players against City’s four when the hosts broke in first-half stoppage time, but were carved open easily as Haaland glanced home the second. City’s third, which killed the contest five minutes after the restart, originated from a Joe Gomez throw-in. He threw it straight to Marc Guéhi and suddenly, via O’Reilly and Cherki, Semenyo was in behind a static Van Dijk to beat Giorgi Mamardashvili.

The positioning of Liverpool’s replacement goalkeeper was dreadful too. The fourth came via O’Reilly walking through the Liverpool defence having been kept onside by Van Dijk, before squaring for Haaland to complete his treble and Liverpool’s misery. Oliver took one look at his watch when the game reached 90 minutes and decided to put them out of it completely.