Jack Grealish is confident Manchester City’s FA Cup exit will not derail their remaining double bid for Premier League and Champions League glory.
City saw their treble hopes dashed as they were beaten 3-2 by quadruple-chasing Liverpool in a thrilling semi-final at Wembley on Saturday.
Yet midfielder Grealish did not want to dwell on the defeat, immediately turning attention to the two competitions City can still win this season.
The England international said: “You just go in there and look at the talent and the experience that we have in that dressing room – I don’t think anyone else in the league has a dressing room like it.
“Our performances, the competitions we are in and where we are in the league speak for themselves.
“We just have to pick ourselves up, go again and hopefully by the end of the season we’ll have (won) the Premier League and the Champions League.”
City paid the price for a slow start as Ibrahima Konate headed Liverpool into an early lead before a blunder by second-choice goalkeeper Zack Steffen gifted a second goal to Sadio Mane.
Mane then volleyed the Reds’ third on the stroke of half-time to leave City staring at a heavy defeat.
Grealish pulled one back after the break and Bernardo Silva set up a grandstand finish with another in a late rally but Liverpool held on.
It appeared City’s intense recent schedule, including a draining Champions League tie against Atletico Madrid and last week’s exhilarating draw with Liverpool, had caught up with them.
But Grealish said: “I’m not going sit here and say excuses. I just think we came out slow. That was it.
“Liverpool have been the same as us, they’ve travelled the same amount as us in the last few weeks, played the same as us.
“We didn’t have the first half that we wanted to but we came in at half-time and manager made a few changes. I think we were much better for it but I think in the end it was too little, too late.”
City lead Liverpool by one point at the top of the Premier League and face Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals.
They are back in action as they host Brighton midweek.
“We still have still have the Champions League and the Premier League to play for,” said Grealish. “So we need to pick ourselves up and get back on track for Wednesday.”
