Manchester City advanced to the semi-finals of the FA Cup with a 4-0 win over Liverpool on Saturday afternoon.
In the opening 20 minutes, Mohamed Salah and Rayan Cherki both spurned opportunities to put their sides ahead. City also felt as though they were denied a penalty when Cherki appeared to be felled in the box, but both referee Michael Oliver and the video assistant referee decided it was not a foul. However, City were awarded a penalty in the 36th minute when Nico O’Reilly was felled by Virgil van Dijk. Erling Haaland converted the subsequent spot kick. Haaland then got his second in first-half added time, heading past Giorgi Mamardashvili.
City kept up their momentum after half-time. In the 50th minute, Antoine Semenyo was released on the left side of the box. He lobbed the ball over Mamardashvili to give City their third. Haaland then completed his hat-trick in the 57th minute, striking from close range. Mohamed Salah had an opportunity to claw one back from the penalty spot in the 64th minute, but his effort was saved by James Trafford.
The win was City’s 18th FA Cup win at home in a row, breaking a 145-year-old record set by the now defunct south London team Clapham Rovers, who won 17 on the spin between 1873 and 1881.
The Athletic’s experts Jordan Campbell, Andy Jones and Mark Carey analyse the game below.
Haaland’s hat-trick — and his run of bunches of goals in the FA Cup
Erling Haaland had five goals in his previous 10 games against Liverpool. Believe it or not, that is a poor return in his world.
Indeed, City’s record against their rivals since the Norwegian joined reads: three wins, two draws and five losses. If there was any team that had proven they could shackle him, it was Liverpool and Virgil van Dijk.
It looked like it may be a similarly frustrating day for him after the first half an hour. At one point, he grappled with Van Dijk and had a pull of shirt as he tried to find room to get on the end of a cut back.
But as soon as he converted the penalty from the Dutch defender’s trip on Nico O’Reilly, he switched back onto FA Cup mode and secured his hat-trick with a superb looping header and a tap-in from Doku’s square ball.
The Norwegian only scores in bunches in this competition. One or two just does not seem worth the while. His tally of 11 goals in 12 matches have come from just three games: the hat-trick against Burnley in 2023, the haul of five against Luton in 2024, and Saturday’s three against Liverpool.
It took his season total to 33 in all competitions and was the 12th hat-trick registered since joining City in 2022 — more than any other player in the top five leagues of Europe in that time.
Jordan Campbell
Salah serves up a reminder of why his exit suits both him and Liverpool
Mohamed Salah’s announcement of his departure at the end of the season during the international break allowed supporters to reminisce about his incredible career.
Yet on his return to the Liverpool team after recovering from injury, it was a reminder as to why an exit suits all parties.
The 33-year-old continues to look human.
To his credit, Salah got into the good goalscoring positions on a handful of occasions — more than his other teammates — but his execution summed up his campaign, where that magical touch in front of goal has deserted him too often.
Salah reacts after seeing his penalty saved (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
His chance in the 14th minute would have felt like an automatic goal as recently as last season, but on this occasion, he took too long. His touch before his shot was loose, allowing Abdukodir Khusanov the chance to recover and put a challenge in.
His penalty in the second half was that of a player short on confidence. James Trafford saved his effort, Salah’s second penalty miss in as many games after failing from the spot against Galatasaray.
Liverpool’s problems run much deeper than Salah’s form, but if they are to salvage anything from the rest of this season, they need their best players to perform, including one of the greatest.
Andy Jones
City’s slick passers carve Liverpool apart (again)
For all that Liverpool made the better start on Saturday afternoon, there was a moment in the first half when the momentum shifted.
Arne Slot’s side had pinned Manchester City all the way back to goalkeeper James Trafford, with City looking like they might give up possession in a dangerous area. Instead, they managed to pop the ball between them in their own area, then their own third, before ending the sequence in the final third after some neat rotations and intelligent passing.
City did not score on this occasion, but it was a sequence that was reminiscent of their opener at the Etihad Stadium in their Premier League clash against Liverpool earlier this season. You could point to poor pressing from the away side, but the technical quality and calmness of City were key to unlocking the door in Liverpool’s defence.
There were similar sequences that followed for City, with the passing being so slick that “Ole!” football was served up as the crowd cheered before the game reached the hour mark. With the game effectively over by then, it was time to turn on the style, but the confidence to play through Liverpool’s press came long before — and was arguably the catalyst for the swing in the game’s momentum.
Mark Carey
Liverpool once again fall in the face of adversity
The first half offered a microcosm of Liverpool’s campaign, as has been the case so often this season.
Time and again, at the first sign of adversity, Liverpool have so frequently shrunk into their shells and been unable to respond.
Arne Slot’s side had arguably had the better of the game for the opening 35 minutes. Led by Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz, they had been bright and progressive on the ball, but as has been the case this season, they failed to take their chances — decision-making and execution let them down.
Mohamed Salah had the best opportunity after 14 minutes, but he hesitated when a shooting chance presented itself.
Liverpool’s good start ended in a bad defeat (Carl Recine/Getty Images)
There was a lot to be positive about until Matheus Nunes, helped by a fortunate deflection off Ryan Gravenberch, was able to find Nico O’Reilly in the penalty area. He was fouled by Virgil van Dijk, and Erling Haaland dispatched the resulting penalty after 39 minutes.
The response from the away side was concerning. They looked shell-shocked and as if they were feeling sorry for themselves. The energy of the opening 35 minutes had been sapped out of them in an instant.
It was reminiscent of the league game where Liverpool — who were much poorer that day — did not recover from Van Dijk’s goal being ruled out.
To continue the similarities, they also conceded the second goal in added time at the end of the half. Haaland headed home his second after a flowing move, but too many of Liverpool’s players were too passive as the attack built.
It left them with a mountain to climb, and one they did not even come close to overcoming.
Andy Jones
Has Semenyo given Guardiola the end product he wanted from a winger?
Pep Guardiola spent the first six months of the season deriding the lack of goal contributions from his wingers.
As he sat in the posh seats, overseeing the game with his daughter by his side, he could have no complaints over the end product of Antoine Semenyo.
The winger has elevated City’s attack since his £64m ($84.5m) move from Bournemouth in January, and against Liverpool, he took his total number of goals and assists to eleven.
His directness was crucial to City taking control of the first half late on, repeatedly driving past Milos Kerkez down the outside. The Hungarian could not stop him from working a yard of space to deliver, and in the 47th minute, he sent in a terrific cross that Erling Haaland glanced home to kill the game.
Dominik Szoboszlai may have been cajoling his team-mate to show him the other way, but Arsenal’s Piero Hincapie could empathise with how futile that advice is after he was given the run around by Semenyo in the Carabao Cup final a fortnight ago.
The helplessness of Kerkez, not knowing which way to direct the Ghanaian, is a testament to how strong he is on both sides.
After the break, Semenyo turned finisher, timing a great run in behind and dinking the ball over the onrushing Giorgi Mamardashvili.
His signing, in addition to Marc Guehi, who showed Liverpool why they were foolish to let his signature slip through the net, could prove to be the thing that delivers a double, perhaps even a treble, this season.
Jordan Campbell
What did Guardiola say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What did Slot say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What next for City?
Sunday, April 12: Chelsea (Away), Premier League, 4.30pm UK, 11.30am ET
What next for Liverpool?
Wednesday, April 8: Paris Saint-Germain (Away), Champions League quarter-final first leg, 8pm UK, 3pm ET
