Erling Haaland Nets Hat-Trick as Dominant Manchester City Eliminate Liverpool from FA Cup

Following their Carabao Cup triumph a fortnight earlier, Manchester City appeared primed for more cup success, yet Liverpool adapted fastest in this quarter-final clash.

The Merseyside outfit generated the initial major opportunity in typical fashion, with Giorgi Mamardashvili's long clearance releasing Mohamed Salah behind the defence, though Abdukodir Khusanov's timely intervention stopped the forward from unleashing a clean shot.

A similar opening arose for Hugo Ekitike after Rodri's wayward control near the box dropped perfectly for him, but he squandered it by firing high over the crossbar.

Despite their early openings in the first period, Manchester City took the lead. Liverpool inadvertently assisted, especially through Virgil van Dijk's awkward foul in the penalty area that sent Nico O’Reilly tumbling.

Official Michael Oliver promptly awarded the penalty, and Haaland showed no reluctance from the spot, deceiving Mamardashvili with ease.

This marked the start of a rapid brace for Haaland, who escaped markers to nod in Antoine Semenyo’s inviting cross, giving City a two-goal advantage at halftime.

Fuming Arne Slot had his Liverpool players back on the pitch well ahead of City for the second half, a frustration unlikely eased when the home side netted a third just minutes after the break.

Semenyo now found the net himself, sprinting through after Rayan Cherki’s pass and chipping the advancing Mamardashvili, capping a remarkable City scoring burst spanning 14 minutes and 9 seconds.

The joy intensified for Pep Guardiola’s team shortly before the hour, maintaining their control as Haaland sealed his 28th career treble by finishing O’Reilly’s low return pass.

As if Liverpool's day could deteriorate further, Salah's penalty effort was repelled by James Trafford following Matheus Nunes' foul on Ekitike inside the box. From that point, the match was effectively over, with both teams simply managing the closing 20 minutes of an inevitable outcome.

Manchester City now eye another Wembley visit, needing only one more win for a fourth straight FA Cup final appearance. Liverpool, meanwhile, must quickly recover, facing Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final midweek.