Mohamed Salah's disappointing performance
If this is the beginning of Mohamed Salah's farewell tour, then it can be predicted that his final performance will not be commensurate with one of the greatest careers in Liverpool history.
Previously, many opinions suggested that announcing his departure from Anfield at the end of the season would help Salah play more freely and creatively in the last weeks at Merseyside. However, reality so far has not been as expected.
Like many teammates, Salah started not badly at the Etihad Stadium. However, signs of decline quickly became apparent when he missed his first golden opportunity, finishing wide of the goal amidst boos from Manchester City fans after only 15 minutes.
Luck continued to turn its back on the Egyptian striker. He shot over the bar in another situation, before the penalty in the second half was saved by James Trafford, and finally had to leave the field early.
Having participated in 21 goals against Man City (13 goals, 8 assists), Salah has always been a major threat to Pep Guardiola's team. However, the recent lackluster performance shows that saying goodbye in the summer could be a suitable choice for all parties.
Pressure is increasingly weighing on Arne Slot
When Man City players easily passed the ball back and forth in the second half, home fans chanted in unison: "You will be sacked tomorrow morning".
That is the familiar refrain that Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has had to listen to many times in this turbulent season.
In the early stages, those mockery were only satirical. But now, as Liverpool's campaign is dragging on, they have become a worrying sign for the Dutch strategist, especially after his heaviest defeat since leading the team.
The leadership, led by Fenway Sports Group, still maintains support for Slot, acknowledging that injuries, squad disruption and objective factors have made Liverpool's season difficult.
However, despite the slight reasons, unstable form and consecutive unconvincing performances make it increasingly difficult for Slot to protect his long-term position.
If Liverpool continues to suffer another heavy defeat in the Champions League, it will be very difficult for the Dutch captain to regain the trust of fans who have lost patience.
Liverpool is no longer a mental monster
For Liverpool, this is another familiar scenario. Traveling to Etihad with the position of underdog, Arne Slot's team started quite well in the first 30 minutes and even created two clearest chances in the match, belonging to Salah and Hugo Ekitike.
The game seemed balanced until Virgil van Dijk's mistake with Nico O'Reilly caused Liverpool to concede a penalty. And since the moment Erling Haaland opened the score, the situation was almost only one-sided.
Once again, Liverpool collapsed when facing difficulties. The second goal conceded right before the break made the faint hope even more distant, and continuing to concede goals after the break only further confirmed their inherent problem.
Statistics show that Liverpool has only won 2 out of 19 matches this season when conceding goals first - a number clearly reflecting a decline in bravery.
The team once dubbed the "spiritual monster" under Jurgen Klopp now lacks the necessary resilience to overcome adversity.
That fragility has made them pay a heavy price throughout the season. If they do not improve soon, the rest of this campaign could end in the worst way.
