By Ghazali Ibrahim
Manchester City delivered a dominant performance to defeat Liverpool FC 4–0, booking a place in the FA Cup semi-finals and deepening the crisis at Anfield.
The quarter-final clash at the Etihad Stadium was headlined by a stunning hat-trick from Erling Haaland, who proved decisive as Pep Guardiola’s side overwhelmed their rivals.
Haaland opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the first half after a foul by Virgil van Dijk, before adding a second just before the break.
He later completed his hat-trick early in the second half, with Antoine Semenyo also getting on the scoresheet to seal a comprehensive victory.
Liverpool had started brightly but failed to convert early chances, with Mohamed Salah enduring a difficult outing that included a missed penalty.
The defeat marked the heaviest FA Cup loss for Liverpool in decades and piled pressure on manager Arne Slot, who later criticised his team’s lack of “fighting spirit” following the heavy defeat.
For City, the victory secured a record eighth consecutive FA Cup semi-final appearance, underlining their continued dominance in domestic competitions.
The result also saw frustrated Liverpool fans leave the stadium early, as the gulf in quality between both sides became increasingly evident during the second half.
With the win, Manchester City advance to Wembley, where they will look to continue their pursuit of another FA Cup title, while Liverpool are left to regroup ahead of crucial fixtures in other competitions.
