Virgil van Dijk delivered a damning assessment of his Liverpool teammates following their comprehensive FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Manchester City on Saturday.
The Dutch captain suggested the Reds simply stopped competing during the 4-0 thrashing at the Etihad Stadium.
"Obviously you come out of the dressing room with the right intentions to score and make it 2-1 and change the game," Van Dijk said.
But the opposite happened and then to come back from 3-0 is obviously very difficult here. But also you shouldn't give up, and that's maybe what happened at a certain point."
Virgil van Dijk revealed that Liverpool "gave up" during their 4-0 mauling at the hands of Manchester City
|REUTERS
The defender conceded the campaign has taken a significant psychological toll on the squad.
"It's mentally very tough at the moment, I must say," he stated.
Van Dijk offered his apologies to the Liverpool faithful who had made the journey to Manchester, many of whom departed well before the referee's final whistle.
"The fans were there to support us and I can only apologise to the fans for what we have shown, especially the second. I can understand the fans' frustration as well," the skipper said.
The centre-back has become accustomed to fronting up after disappointing results this term, speaking candidly even when his own performance has fallen below the expected standard.
Erling Haaland lit up the Etihad Stadium as Man City battered Liverpool | GETTYLiverpool had competed admirably during the opening thirty minutes before their resistance crumbled entirely.
The collapse proved particularly painful given the promising start, with the visitors capitulating after Van Dijk conceded a foul on Nico O'Reilly, allowing Erling Haaland to open the scoring.
Arne Slot has come under serious pressure in the wake of Liverpool's heavy defeat to City
| GETTYThis humiliating reverse marked Liverpool's fifteenth loss across all competitions during the current campaign.
Van Dijk acknowledged the club has endured difficulties for the vast majority of the season.
"I've been there already many times this season when I've had hope and then we couldn't build on performances," he reflected.
Mohamed Salah missed a penalty in Liverpool's dire FA Cup defeat to Man City | GETTY"I am trying to think how we can turn it around but we have been going through this for almost 75 percent of the season. It definitely hurts me."
The captain must now rally his squad for Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain.
"So the focus is now on Paris away, but it's tough. It will be a tough Sunday to digest it," Van Dijk conceded.
Domestic silverware now appears beyond reach for the Merseyside club, leaving European glory as their sole remaining avenue for redemption.