Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick as Manchester City demolished Liverpool 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium to reach the FA Cup semi-finals. The Norwegian striker’s treble, his first since August 2024, sent swathes of Liverpool fans heading for the exits after 57 minutes, with City already 4-0 up.
Pep Guardiola’s side were cruising by half-time, leading 2-0 after Haaland’s penalty and a close-range finish. The spot-kick came from Virgil van Dijk’s foul on Nico O’Reilly, with Haaland converting low to the left. The second goal arrived in added time, as Matheus Nunes and Rayan Cherki combined for Antoine Semenyo to cross and Haaland flicked in.
Liverpool had started brightly, with Hugo Ekitiké and Mohamed Salah missing early chances. But after the break, the visitors collapsed. Marc Guehi set up O’Reilly, who found Cherki, and Semenyo lobbed Giorgi Mamardashvili to make it 3-0. Haaland then completed his hat-trick, hooking in from a Jeremy Doku and O’Reilly move, before Salah missed a penalty with the score at 4-0.
The defeat is a heavy blow for Liverpool manager Arne Slot, with a Champions League quarter-final at Paris Saint-Germain looming on Wednesday. For City, it extends their record to an eighth consecutive FA Cup semi-final, a further testament to Guardiola’s managerial prowess.
