Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick as Manchester City beat Liverpool 4-0 in the FA Cup quarter-finals at the Etihad Stadium.
Haaland’s penalty late in the first half opened the floodgates, the striker added a second before the break and Antoine Semenho made it three just after the break. Haaland’s hat-trick goal came just before the Premier League champions collapsed.
Mohamed Salah made his first appearance since announcing he would leave Liverpool at the end of the season and also saw James Trafford save a penalty to end Arne Slot’s miserable afternoon, which will put increasing pressure on him.
Mohamed Salah reacts after failing to score a penalty kick against Manchester City.
How did Liverpool fare?
Virgil van Dijk’s clumsy foul on Nico O’Reilly in the box gave Haaland the chance to put City ahead, but Liverpool’s second goal came in first-half stoppage time.
A trick from Rayan Cherki sent Semenyo wide and Haaland headed past Giorgi Mamardashvili. Liverpool’s situation worsened as Cherki began to enjoy themselves, sending Semenyo in behind Van Dijk early in the second half to chip Mamardashvili.
Pep Guardiola, who watched from the stands while facing a touchline ban, has now guided City to the FA Cup semi-finals for the eighth consecutive season. After winning the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal, they are aiming for a domestic cup double.
It was Liverpool’s best chance of winning the title this season, but they still need to secure a Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain and a place in next year’s competition. Based on this evidence, their prospects do not look good.
Analysis: Slots’ Worst Losses of All Time
On the surface, Slot can take some solace in its base statistics. Ownership is shared. Both teams had 11 attempts on goal. Liverpool actually had 36 touches in the opposition penalty box compared to Manchester City’s 21 touches. So is it a fair competition?
not quite. And while it reveals something about City, who boast the best strikers on the planet, it also shows what has weakened Liverpool’s season. For a team that is supposedly the best, it’s bad in both boxes. Details continue to cost money.
Van Dijk did not need to clear O’Reilly in the box, giving City the chance to take the lead. Salah missed a penalty from the same spot where Haaland had scored earlier, wasting the game’s first clear chance.
Haaland completes hat trick, giving Manchester City a 4-0 win over Liverpool
With Alisson Becker injured again, these are Slot winners. Florian Wirtz, their record signing, decorated these big games too much rather than dominating them. Liverpool have lost something at full-back and are off balance in midfield.
There were times when the forwards would push high and the defense would drop, opening up space that Liverpool could not handle. Dominik Szoboszlai’s own shadow chasing was a hallmark of the campaign.
Despite all of Liverpool’s struggles, no team other than Manchester City has beaten Liverpool by more than the odd goal this season. This was somewhat different, but it was also coming. The excuses supporters have had to hear all year won’t cover it now.
