London, April 4: It was one of those afternoons when the Etihad did not merely host a football match—it witnessed a statement. Ruthless, clinical, and unapologetically dominant. And at the heart of it all stood Erling Haaland, whose brilliance lit up the stage with a stunning hat-trick as Manchester City dismantled Liverpool to storm into a record-extending eighth consecutive FA Cup semi-final.
For Pep Guardiola, it was a night of mixed emotions. The City manager, serving the second game of his touchline ban, watched from the stands. Yet even from a distance, he would have felt a sense of control, as his side executed their plans with ruthless precision, leaving Liverpool chasing shadows and raising fresh questions around boss Arne Slot.
Fresh from their triumph over Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley, City arrived with momentum—and they ensured it did not go to waste. The opening exchanges, however, told a slightly different story. Liverpool, with Florian Wirtz pulling the strings, showed early fluency but lacked the finishing touch that separates contenders from champions.
City, on the other hand, needed just one moment. It came in the 38th minute.
A clumsy challenge from Virgil van Dijk on Nico O’Reilly handed the hosts a penalty. Haaland stepped up. Calm. Composed. Clinical. The Norwegian made no mistake, sending Giorgi Mamardashvili the wrong way to break the deadlock.
And just like that, the tide turned.
On the stroke of half-time, Haaland struck again. Rising above the defence, he guided a precise header from Antoine Semenyo’s delivery into the far corner. From control to command, City had seized the game.
Liverpool, meanwhile, were left to rue missed opportunities. Mohamed Salah—playing his first match since announcing his impending departure—had a golden chance but hesitated at the crucial moment, allowing the defence to recover. Later, he saw a penalty saved by James Trafford, summing up a frustrating outing for the Egyptian forward.
The second half only deepened Liverpool’s misery.Semenyo added a third with a delightful finish early after the restart, exploiting space left by a disorganised defence. And then, inevitably, came the final blow. Haaland completed his hat-trick with authority, sealing a comprehensive victory and a serene passage into the last four.For City, Wembley now feels like a second home. The banners unfurled—“Wembley again, ole ole”—captured the mood perfectly. Under Guardiola, this has become routine. Excellence, expected.The victory also carried historical weight. Having already beaten Liverpool home and away in the league this season, City completed a rare hat-trick of wins over the Merseyside club—something not achieved in nearly a century. It was dominance, sustained and emphatic.
For Haaland, the night marked a return to form at the perfect time. Questions had begun to surface after a lean patch—just one goal in seven games—but the Norwegian responded in the only way he knows how. With goals.
Three of them. His tally now swelling to 46 for the season, including goals in four successive matches against Liverpool. (Agencies)
