Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City players not only steamrolled into the semi-finals of the 2025/26 FA Cup, but broke two competition records along the way.
The recently-crowned Carabao Cup winners were ruthless in their execution, with Haaland breaking the deadlock from the penalty spot after a Virgil van Dijk foul on Nico O’Reilly before doubling the lead with a header from an Antoine Semenyo cross.
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While Liverpool found early fluency through Florian Wirtz, their wastefulness proved fatal as Mohamed Salah saw an effort blocked by Abdukodir Khusanov, and later a penalty saved by James Trafford.
City to pulled away through Semenyo’s delicate second-half finish and Haaland’s hat trick-sealing strike, in a dominant display that not only increased pressure on Arne Slot but kept City’s ambitions of a domestic cup double firmly on track as they head back to Wembley.
And following the demolition job of Slot’s Merseyside men on Saturday afternoon, it has been confirmed that Manchester City have now also progressed into the FA Cup semi-final for a record-extending eight seasons in a row.
Not only that, but Pep Guardiola’s City side are now also on a run of 18 consecutive FA Cup home wins – the longest such run in the competition’s history.
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For City, the 4-0 victory serves as a springboard into a season-defining April, with the club now set to navigate a high-octane fixture schedule that includes a title-deciding Premier League showdown with Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium before returning to the national stadium for their semi-final clash on April 25 or 26.
With Erling Haaland back in hat-trick mode and the defensive unit maintaining a clean sheet despite the absence of the likes of Ruben Dias and Gianluigi Donnarumma, the Blues have reaffirmed their status as the heavy favourites to secure a domestic double.