Manchester City's Haaland reaches 50-goal mark in FA Cup rout of Liverpool
Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick as Manchester City advanced to the FA Cup semi-finals with a commanding 4-0 victory over Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. The Norwegian striker took his season tally to an astonishing 46 goals in 50 appearances across all competitions for club and country, with Antoine Semenyo adding the other goal for the dominant hosts.
Haaland opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 37th minute after Virgil van Dijk fouled Matt O'Riley in the area. He doubled the lead just before half-time with a precise header from a Semenyo cross. The contest was effectively ended four minutes after the restart when Semenyo finished cleverly following a Rayan Cherki pass, before Haaland completed his treble on 57 minutes, tapping in from an O'Riley cut-back. Liverpool's miserable afternoon was compounded when goalkeeper James Trafford saved a late penalty from Mohamed Salah.
The performance underscored Haaland's relentless productivity since his £51 million move from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2022. His 46 goals this season have come in just 41 club games, with five more added for Norway. According to Opta statistics cited by Sky Sports, he is the fastest player in Premier League history to reach 50 goals for a single club across all competitions, achieving the feat in just 60 appearances.
For Manchester City, managed from the stands by a suspended Pep Guardiola, the victory keeps a potential treble alive, with the club firmly in the Premier League title race and through to the Champions League quarter-finals. The comprehensive nature of the win against a direct rival, despite Liverpool fielding a strong side, sends a powerful message about City's depth and form during the run-in.
Liverpool, who suffered their 15th defeat of the season across all competitions, now have only the Champions League left to fight for, having been eliminated from both domestic cups. Manager Jürgen Klopp, who introduced Federico Chiesa late on for Salah, will need to rally his squad ahead of their European second leg against Bayern Munich.
In other FA Cup quarter-final action, Arsenal suffered a shock 2-1 defeat away to Championship side Southampton, with Adam Stewart and Joe Charles scoring for the hosts. Chelsea had no such trouble, thrashing third-tier Port Vale 7-0 to book their place in the last four. The draw for the FA Cup semi-finals will be made on Monday.
