MANCHESTER, ENGLAND — Erling Haaland delivered a masterclass in clinical finishing as Manchester City dismantled Liverpool 4-0 in the FA Cup at Etihad Stadium, sending 50,754 supporters into raptures with a performance that underlined just how devastating City can be when their Norwegian talisman is in this kind of form. Haaland struck three times, Antoine Semenyo added a fourth, and James Trafford was equal to everything Liverpool threw at him in a one-sided cup tie that flattered the visitors' defensive effort far more than the scoreline suggests.
The opening half was tense and physical — Ryan Gravenberch picked up a yellow card in the 24th minute for a bad foul, and Rodri followed him into the referee's book ten minutes later — but it was Manchester City who drew first blood in the most emphatic fashion. In the 39th minute, Haaland stepped up to the penalty spot and drove a composed left-footed effort to the bottom right corner, giving Giorgi Mamardashvili no chance. The Etihad erupted, and Liverpool barely had time to regroup before the Norwegian struck again. Deep into first-half stoppage time, Antoine Semenyo whipped a cross into the box and Haaland rose majestically from the centre, powering a header to the top left corner to double City's advantage just before the interval whistle.
If Liverpool harboured any hope of a second-half revival, it evaporated within five minutes of the restart. Rayan Cherki slid a perfectly weighted through ball into the path of Semenyo, who arrived at the left side of the box and drilled a composed left-footed finish to the bottom right corner in the 50th minute. The tie was effectively over. Seven minutes later, Haaland completed his hat-trick in the 57th minute, latching onto a delivery from Nico O'Reilly and guiding a left-footed shot from the centre of the box to the top left corner — a finish of breathtaking precision that sent the home faithful into delirium.
The tactical battle was fascinating given how evenly the teams shared the ball. Possession was split almost exactly 50%-50%, yet City's ability to convert their opportunities proved the defining difference. Cherki was a constant menace in the first hour, combining beautifully with Haaland and Semenyo before making way for Tijjani Reijnders in the 71st minute. Bernardo Silva pulled the strings in midfield, while Matheus Nunes drove forward with purpose, testing Mamardashvili with a long-range effort that the Georgian goalkeeper pushed away comfortably.
Trafford, for his part, was kept busy throughout — making 5 saves to preserve City's clean sheet. He denied Ibrahima Konaté's header from a Dominik Szoboszlai cross, palmed away Alexis Mac Allister's long-range drive after the substitute entered the fray in the 67th minute, and crucially stopped Cody Gakpo's header from another Szoboszlai delivery. His most significant intervention, however, came when he saved Mohamed Salah's penalty — a stop that extinguished any lingering hope Liverpool might have clung to in the closing stages.
The numbers told a story of two goalkeepers working hard in very different circumstances. Liverpool's Mamardashvili made 3 saves of his own, denying Nunes, Cherki, and Bernardo Silva, but his team's outfield players could not provide the same level of protection that Trafford enjoyed. The yellow cards continued to accumulate — Milos Kerkez was booked in the 65th minute, Bernardo Silva in the 67th, and late bookings for Ibrahima Konaté and Nico González in the 87th and 88th minutes respectively added to the febrile atmosphere that gripped the Etihad in the final quarter.
The turning point, if one moment can be singled out, was Haaland's penalty in the 39th minute. Until that point, Liverpool had matched City stride for stride in a fiercely contested midfield battle. Once the Norwegian converted from the spot, the psychological weight of the deficit — combined with City's relentless pressing and Cherki's creativity — proved too great a burden for Arne Slot's side to carry into the second half.
The scoreboard resets, but the table does not. Manchester City travel to face Chelsea on April 11 carrying the confidence of a four-goal cup demolition, while Liverpool must regroup swiftly and find their defensive resolve before making the trip to Fulham on the same date.