Pep Guardiola slammed for disrespecting Liverpool - "He over-Pepped it"

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been slammed for disrespecting Liverpool with his team selection for Saturday's FA Cup semi-final.

Guardiola made seven changes from the starting line-up that held Atletico Madrid to a goalless draw last Wednesday, sealing their place in the Champions League semi-finals in the process. But it was a decision that would backfire badly on the Spaniard, with the Reds going three goals up before half-time.

Jurgen Klopp side were dominant in the opening 45 minutes and went ahead through Ibrahima Konate's header. The Reds then capitalised on a horrendous error by City keeper Zack Steffen, preferred to start over normal first-choice Ederson, to double their lead through Sadio Mane.

Mane then scored a wonderful volley at the end of the first-half to put Klopp's men in total control before the break. Though City did fight back with goals from Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva bringing them back into the game, they were unable to find an equaliser.

The blame for City's collapse has been placed firmly at the door of Guardiola and his team selection. While his side were in the middle of a run if crucial games in the Premier League and Champions League, former Tottenham star Jamie O'Hara accused Guardiola of disrespecting Liverpool by making so many changes.

“It was a typical Pep Guardiola situation, where I feel like he’s ‘over-Pepped it’ again. Just play Ederson. I don’t know why you’re not playing Ederson. You need to be at completely full strength to get a result against Liverpool," O’Hara told talkSPORT.

“The only team in the world that I can I look at and go, ‘You can beat Liverpool’, is Man City when they’re at full strength. But they had no Kyle Walker and no Kevin De Bruyne.