Erling Haaland produced a ruthless masterclass as Manchester City thrashed Liverpool 4-0 in the FA Cup quarter-final at the Etihad Stadium on April 4, 2026. The Norwegian superstar scored a first-half brace before completing his hat-trick early in the second half, taking his staggering tally to 46 goals in just 50 appearances for club and country this season.
City, who had already lifted the League Cup with a dominant display against Arsenal before the international break, looked every bit the treble-chasing side that won the domestic clean sweep in 2018/19. Liverpool, sitting fifth in the Premier League and with only the FA Cup and Champions League left to play for, were outclassed from the first whistle.
Haaland opened the scoring in the 39th minute from the penalty spot after Virgil van Dijk fouled O’Reilly in the box. With his trademark stuttering run-up, he sent goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili the wrong way and calmly rolled the ball into the bottom corner, celebrating with a kung-fu kick on the corner flag. Two minutes into first-half stoppage time, Haaland made it 2-0. Cherki’s clever run and pass released Semenyo, whose teasing cross was met by Haaland, who out-jumped Ibrahima Konaté to power a header past Mamardashvili.
After the break City refused to ease off. Antoine Semenyo, the Ghanaian midfielder, made it 3-0 on 52 minutes with a delightful chip over the keeper after a perfectly weighted through-ball from captain Bernardo Silva. Haaland completed his hat-trick on 59 minutes, finishing a slick team move started by O’Reilly and Doku, who squared the ball for the Norwegian to tap home from close range.