Liverpool’s FA Cup Run Holds the Key to Trophy Hopes

Liverpool’s Champions League Qualification hopes and FA Cup ambitions are now tightly linked, with former midfielder Danny Murphy arguing on Friday that Arne Slot must win a major trophy to keep his job. Murphy, who made 249 appearances for Liverpool, named the cup as the more realistic route to silverware. The European path, he said, is a steeper climb from where Liverpool currently sit.

How Liverpool’s Season Fell Apart

Liverpool dropped nine of 12 matches from September through December 2025. That autumn collapse buried any real hope of a Premier League defence or a Carabao Cup run. The domestic cup and the European bracket became the only prizes left worth chasing.

Murphy was blunt about what that run cost the club. “When you’re at the top, even if you have a bad season, for Liverpool you’re expected to win something,” he said. That view shapes how the cup is now framed at Anfield — not as a secondary target, but as the primary one.

Since December, Liverpool have lost just three of 23 games. Sharp turnaround. But the gap left by the autumn collapse is too wide to close in the Premier League, and Murphy’s framing reflects that reality directly. The numbers reveal a side that stopped the bleeding fast but could not undo the early damage.

Murphy put the cup case plainly: “The Champions League is going to be more difficult, this is a realistic competition for Liverpool to win”. That framing — the domestic cup as the achievable prize, Europe as the long shot — reflects the squad’s depth and current form. Champions League Qualification through a top-four Premier League finish now looks difficult given the damage done in autumn.

Salah, Robertson, and Jones Step Up in the Cup

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Liverpool’s senior players delivered when it counted against Wolves. Mohamed Salah, Andrew Robertson, and Curtis Jones were the decisive figures in that cup victory, sending Liverpool through to the next round. Slot’s system got results, but those three drove them.

Salah’s contribution carries a caveat. The Egyptian forward has been well below the levels he hit last season, when he scored 34 goals across all competitions as Liverpool claimed their second Premier League title. His output has dropped sharply this campaign, and that gap in goal contributions is a concern for any Liverpool supporter tracking attacking numbers. Film from the Wolves fixture shows a forward working hard but lacking the clinical edge that defined his 2024-25 season.

Jones has been a different story. Both of his goals this season have arrived in cup football — one in the fourth-round victory over Brighton, one in the following round against Wolves. He is producing at exactly the right moment. His cup form gives Slot a dependable option in central midfield when pressure is at its peak. Jones’s pressing intensity and progressive passing in those fixtures stand out as some of Liverpool’s best numbers this calendar year.

Robertson’s contribution adds another layer. The left-back has been a consistent outlet in cup football, and his involvement in the Wolves win showed Slot can still rely on the veteran to perform in knockout ties. Liverpool’s experienced core is carrying the load right now, and that experience is being directed into the cup run above all else.

Key Facts From Liverpool’s Season So Far

The data paints a clear picture of a club that stumbled badly early but clawed its way back into contention. Here are the headline numbers from the campaign.

• Danny Murphy, who made 249 appearances for Liverpool, said Slot needs to win the domestic cup or the Champions League to hold his position as manager.
• Liverpool dropped nine of 12 fixtures from September through December 2025, ending realistic hopes in the Premier League and Carabao Cup.
• Since that losing run, Liverpool have lost just three of their 23 matches — a genuine recovery in form.
• Mohamed Salah scored 34 goals in all competitions last season as Liverpool won the Premier League title, but has fallen well short of that output this campaign.
• Curtis Jones has scored both of his goals this season in cup ties, netting against Brighton in the fourth round and against Wolves in the following round.

What Champions League Qualification Means for Slot’s Future

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Murphy’s argument is direct: Slot’s job security depends on a trophy, and the domestic cup offers the clearest path to one. A deep European run would help, but Murphy flagged the Champions League as the harder prize to chase from Liverpool’s current position. Champions League Qualification through the league table now looks like a stretch given where the club sat after December.

There is a counter-case to lay out here. Slot took over a squad mid-cycle, faced a brutal run of fixtures, and has overseen a real turnaround. A manager who drops nine in 12 and then lifts the cup leaves Anfield with his reputation repaired and his squad’s trust restored. Three defeats in 23 games is elite-level consistency, and that record gives Liverpool a credible shot at both competitions.

Squad depth is the big unknown. Salah’s dip means Liverpool cannot count on him for 34-goal output on demand. Slot will need Jones, Robertson, and others to contribute across a packed schedule. Based on the available data, the squad carries enough quality to advance deep in the domestic cup. Whether that translates to European progress — and the financial rewards tied to Champions League Qualification — is far less clear as March 2026 approaches.