Manchester City thrashes Liverpool in FA Cup quarter-final

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Erling Haaland’s penalty celebration was quickly followed by his second goal before half-time. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Action Images/Reuters theguardian.com

Erling Haaland scores Manchester City’s fourth goal to complete his hat-trick. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters theguardian.com

Mohamed Salah reacts after James Trafford saved his penalty with Liverpool 4-0 down. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA theguardian.com

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Erling Haaland scored a first Manchester City hat-trick since August 2024 as City swept Liverpool aside 4–0 in the FA Cup quarter-finals at the Etihad Stadium, sending the holders into a record eighth straight semi-final, according to The Guardian. Haaland opened the scoring from the spot on 39 minutes after Nico O’Reilly went down in the area, then doubled City’s lead in first-half stoppage time, finishing a move that ran through Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo.

Liverpool had chances before the penalty but failed to convert them. The Guardian reports Hugo Ekitiké missed opportunities either side of the opening goal, while Mohamed Salah squandered early openings and later saw a second-half penalty saved by James Trafford, compounding an already lopsided scoreline. City’s third arrived soon after the break, and Haaland completed his treble on 57 minutes when Jérémy Doku and O’Reilly cut through Liverpool’s shape before the striker’s finish clipped in off the bar.

Pep Guardiola watched from the stands due to a touchline ban, but City’s structure looked familiar: high pressing from the front line and quick combinations in the final third. Liverpool, by contrast, were described as a nominal 4-4-2 with Salah and Ekitiké split, with Florian Wirtz drifting centrally — a setup that produced chances but also left gaps once City began to run through them.

The result sharpens the immediate spotlight on Liverpool manager Arne Slot. The London Standard notes that former Liverpool forward John Barnes argued against a dismissal despite the heavy defeat, pointing to the volatility of short-term judgment in elite management and the risk of cycling through coaches. Slot now heads to Paris for a Champions League quarter-final against holders Paris Saint-Germain, with the Standard framing the fixture as the next pressure point in a season that has narrowed to a fight for Europe.

City, meanwhile, move one match closer to another Wembley appearance, extending a run of FA Cup consistency that has become routine in the Guardiola era. Liverpool’s supporters began leaving early, The Guardian reported, with more than half an hour still to play.