Manchester City 4-0 Liverpool: Haaland Hat-Trick Sends Guardiola’s Men Back to Wembley

Manchester City produced a dominant performance to defeat Liverpool 4-0 in the FA Cup quarter-finals, with Erling Haaland scoring a sensational hat-trick to send Pep Guardiola’s side back to Wembley Stadium.

The match at the Etihad Stadium started with end-to-end action. Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah was denied by a crucial block from Abdukodir Khusanov early on, while Rayan Cherki’s poor first touch let him down when played through by Bernardo Silva.

City broke the deadlock in the 39th minute via a penalty. Nico O'Reilly was fouled by Virgil van Dijk, and Haaland converted confidently, sending Giorgi Mamardashvili the wrong way from 12 yards.

Before half-time, Haaland doubled City’s lead with a towering header from Antoine Semenyo’s cross. Semenyo added his own goal early in the second half with a delicate dink over the Liverpool goalkeeper, making it 3-0. Haaland completed his hat-trick in the 57th minute, converting O'Reilly’s cutback to seal the result.

Liverpool’s misery continued when Salah’s penalty was saved by James Trafford after Hugo Ekitike was fouled by Matheus Nunes.

Manchester City’s attacking dominance was reflected in the statistics. City produced 2.5 expected goals (xG) from 11 shots, compared to Liverpool’s 1.43 from the same number of attempts. Haaland accounted for 1.76 xG, scoring from all three of his shots while touching the ball just 16 times, showcasing his efficiency.

Since his City debut in July 2022, Haaland has now scored 12 hat-tricks across all competitions—the most in Europe’s top five leagues—and has scored five goals against Liverpool in all competitions this season, a feat last achieved by Matt Le Tissier in 1993-94. Liverpool became the 11th team he has netted 3+ goals against since joining Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola praised the team’s clinical display, highlighting Haaland’s brilliance and Semenyo’s contribution. City will now look forward to the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley, aiming to continue their successful domestic season.

This emphatic 4-0 win not only boosts City’s confidence but also signals Haaland’s incredible form as one of Europe’s deadliest strikers, putting Manchester City in a commanding position for silverware this season.