Manchester City 4-0 Liverpool, Etihad Stadium, FA Cup quarter-final
Manchester City overpowered Liverpool 4-0 on Saturday at the Etihad Stadium to book another FA Cup semi-final under Pep Guardiola. Erling Haaland struck a hat-trick, Antoine Semenyo delivered a goal and an assist, and James Trafford preserved the clean sheet by saving Mohamed Salah’s 64th-minute penalty.
Guardiola set City up in a 4-3-3 with Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly pushing on from full-back alongside centre-backs Abdukodir Khusanov and Marc Guéhi. Rodri anchored midfield with Bernardo Silva and Rayan Cherki drifting into the pockets behind the forward line of Semenyo, Haaland and Jérémy Doku. Arne Slot matched up with a 4-2-3-1, Joe Gomez and Miloš Kerkez flanking Ibrahima Konaté and Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones screening, while Florian Wirtz and Dominik Szoboszlai supported Salah and Hugo Ekitiké.
City’s pressure told before half-time. Gravenberch collected a yellow card in the 24th minute, Rodri followed on 34, and the breakthrough arrived when Haaland converted a penalty in the 39th minute to reward sustained pressure. The hosts doubled the lead in stoppage time: Semenyo slipped Haaland through in the 45+2nd minute for a composed finish that left Liverpool reeling.
The momentum carried over after the interval. Cherki’s incisive pass released Semenyo, who made it 3-0 in the 50th minute, and O’Reilly’s cut-back enabled Haaland to complete his hat-trick on 57 minutes. Slot replied with four substitutions between the 62nd and 68th minutes, introducing Jeremie Frimpong, Alexis Mac Allister, Cody Gakpo and Rio Ngumoha, but the deficit was already insurmountable.
Liverpool’s best chance arrived from the spot, yet Trafford guessed correctly to repel Salah’s 64th-minute effort on his way to five saves. Kerkez (65'), Bernardo Silva (67'), Konaté (87') and substitute Nico González (88') all entered the referee’s book as tempers simmered, while Federico Chiesa replaced Salah in the 77th minute. Guardiola countered by sending on Savinho and Nico González for Doku and Rodri at 62 minutes, with Phil Foden and Tijjani Reijnders arriving on 71 minutes before Omar Marmoush relieved Haaland six minutes from time.
City controlled territory by dominating central spaces; Rodri completed 72 of 78 passes before departing, Cherki beat his marker with three of five dribbles, and Semenyo’s direct running continually isolated Liverpool’s centre-backs. Even with possession split 50-50, the hosts registered seven shots on target to Liverpool’s five, and Trafford dealt with everything that reached his goal.
Key numbers
- Possession: Manchester City 50% | Liverpool 50%
- Shots on target: Manchester City 7 | Liverpool 5
- Total shots: Manchester City 11 | Liverpool 11
- Saves: James Trafford 5 | Giorgi Mamardashvili 3
- Pass accuracy: Manchester City 442/494 (89%) | Liverpool 444/498 (89%)
City march on to Wembley with momentum intact, while Slot’s side must regroup quickly to prevent this heavy defeat from derailing their season’s run-in.
