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Erling Haaland scored a superb hat-trick as Manchester City extended their formidable FA Cup record under Pep Guardiola, sweeping aside an insipid Liverpool to reach a record eighth successive semi-final.
Guardiola, serving the second match of a touchline ban, watched from the stands as City dismantled a toothless Liverpool side, increasing the pressure on manager Arne Slot after another heavy defeat.
According to match coverage by the BBC, City entered the tie fresh from their Carabao Cup triumph over Arsenal at Wembley and backed it up with another assured performance to move closer to a domestic cup double.
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City created little early on but took the lead in the 38th minute when Haaland converted from the penalty spot – mirroring his goal at Anfield earlier in the league – after Virgil van Dijk tripped Nico O’Reilly in the area.
Haaland, who had been on a modest scoring run, struck again moments before half-time, guiding a header into the far corner from Antoine Semenyo’s cross.
Liverpool looked bright in patches, with Florian Wirtz influential, but their wastefulness proved costly. A long ball put Mohamed Salah through on goal, but he hesitated and his effort was blocked. Salah later saw a penalty saved by James Trafford, while Hugo Ekitike fired over from inside the box.
City were far more clinical. Semenyo clipped in a composed finish early in the second half to make it 3-0 before Haaland completed his treble to seal a dominant victory and City’s serene progress into the last four.
City’s supporters unfurled banners reading “Wembley again, ole ole”, reflecting their now familiar trips to the national stadium under Guardiola. With clubs such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Leeds United and West Ham United still in contention, City face a potentially heavyweight semi-final later this month.
The win also completed a hat-trick of victories over Liverpool this season – the first time City have achieved the feat in almost 100 years – and the first time any club has done so since West Ham a decade ago.
Once Haaland struck the opener, City never looked back, delivering what Guardiola has previously described as a win against the “biggest rival” of his career. Questions had been raised about Haaland after scoring only once in his previous seven matches for club and country, but the Norwegian responded emphatically, taking his tally to 46 goals this season. He has now scored in four consecutive home matches against Liverpool.
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Liverpool have now won just one of their past five matches, and after a promising start they were overrun in a one-sided second half that will only intensify scrutiny on Slot’s future.
Many of the 8,000 travelling supporters left long before the final whistle, with the club now left fighting only for the Champions League as their final chance of silverware.
Salah endured a miserable outing. He hesitated when clean through after a clearance from Giorgi Mamardashvili, allowing Abdukodir Khusanov to make a recovering block. Later, his angled effort was easily saved before Trafford denied him from the spot.
Van Dijk, normally a standout performer, also had an afternoon to forget. In addition to conceding the penalty, he was caught out for Semenyo’s goal.
With Liverpool’s domestic campaign in disarray, Slot’s struggling squad now face a daunting midweek trip to holders Paris St-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals.
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