Erling Haaland scored a ruthless hat-trick as Manchester City swept Liverpool aside 4-0 in the FA Cup quarter-final at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, ending the visitors’ treble hopes and piling fresh pressure on manager Arne Slot.
A Mohamed Salah penalty miss added to Liverpool’s misery on a night that also saw Pep Guardiola’s side establish a remarkable piece of history, eighteen consecutive FA Cup victories, surpassing a record that had stood since 1881.
Liverpool began the brighter of the two sides and fashioned the clearest early chance. In the 15th minute, goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili played a long ball to release Salah in behind, but the Egyptian hesitated and allowed Abdukodir Khusanov to recover and snuff out the danger.
City gradually wrestled control of the match, and the opening goal arrived on 39 minutes. Van Dijk brought down Nico O’Reilly inside the area, and Haaland stepped up to convert the penalty with his trademark composure. Before the interval, the Norwegian struck again, brilliantly turning a cross into the net to send City into the break 2-0 up and Liverpool reeling.
Slot’s half-time words made little difference. Within five minutes of the restart, City were three goals to the good. Cherki slipped Semenyo through on goal and the forward finished calmly to extinguish any remaining hope of a Liverpool comeback.
Haaland then completed his hat-trick with a finish off the underside of the crossbar, the move built down the left through Doku and O’Reilly before the striker applied the telling touch. At 4-0, the contest was long since over.
The final half-hour passed without incident until Salah stepped up to convert a penalty and claim a consolation. He could not. James Trafford produced a sharp save to deny him, and City closed out the afternoon in complete comfort. Tijjani Reijnders came on after 70 minutes for City, while Nathan Aké remained an unused substitute throughout.
For City, the result was a statement as much as a scoreline. Eighteen FA Cup wins in a row is not just a club record, it is a national one, bettering a sequence that had stood for over a century and a half. A semi-final place is secured, and momentum is building at a time when it matters most.
For Liverpool and Slot, the questions are harder. A 4-0 defeat in a cup quarter-final, a missed penalty from their most experienced player, and an afternoon where they never truly threatened after the opening quarter of an hour. City were merciless. Liverpool had no answer.
Liverpool face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on 9 April 2026, before hosting Chelsea in the Premier League on 12 April 2026. Manchester City’s next fixture is also on 12 April 2026, away at Chelsea.
