Erling Haaland Scores Hat-Trick as Manchester City Brush Aside Miserable Liverpool in FA Cup

Erling Haaland scored a clinical hat-trick as Manchester City secured their eighth consecutive FA Cup semi-final appearance, overpowering Liverpool 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

The victory marked City's third straight win against the Reds, a feat not achieved since 1947.

Fresh off their Carabao Cup triumph two weeks prior, City were expected to dominate, but it was Liverpool who started brighter.

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The visitors created the first significant opportunity when a long ball from goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili found Mohamed Salah, but a crucial last-ditch tackle from Abdukodir Khusanov denied the Egyptian a clean shot. Hugo Ekitike then missed a golden chance for Liverpool, firing over the bar after a rare mistake from Rodri on the edge of the box.

Despite Liverpool's early pressure, it was City who broke the deadlock. A clumsy challenge from Virgil van Dijk on Nico O’Reilly inside the area prompted referee Michael Oliver to point to the spot.

Haaland made no mistake, calmly sending Mamardashvili the wrong way from 12 yards. The Norwegian striker quickly doubled the lead, finding space to head home a well-placed cross from Antoine Semenyo, giving City a comfortable two-goal advantage at halftime.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot sent his team out early for the second half, but his hopes of a comeback were dashed within five minutes. This time, Semenyo turned scorer, latching onto a through ball from Rayan Cherki and deftly chipping the advancing Mamardashvili. The goal capped a devastating spell for City, who scored three times in just over 14 minutes.

Before the hour mark, Pep Guardiola's side put the game beyond all doubt. Haaland completed his 28th career hat-trick, sweeping home a cutback from O’Reilly to make it 4-0. Liverpool's miserable afternoon was compounded when Mohamed Salah saw his penalty saved by James Trafford after Matheus Nunes had brought down Ekitike. With the result secured, the final 20 minutes were a mere formality.

Manchester City can now look forward to another trip to Wembley, just one win away from a fourth successive FA Cup final. In contrast, Liverpool must quickly regroup as they prepare for a crucial UEFA Champions League quarter-final clash against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.