Soccer-Haaland Bags Hat-Trick as Man City Hammer Liverpool 4-0 in Fa Cup Quarter-Final

Soccer-Haaland bags hat-trick as Man City hammer Liverpool 4-0 in FA Cup quarter-final

Manchester City Dominate Liverpool to Reach FA Cup Semi-Finals

Match Overview and Key Moments

MANCHESTER, England, April 4 (Reuters) - Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick as Manchester City crushed Liverpool 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday to cruise into the FA Cup semi-finals. 

Champions Liverpool played well in the opening half-hour with Mohamed Salah wasting an early chance, but once Haaland had scored from the spot in the 37th minute after a foul on Nico O’Reilly their resistance crumbled.

Turning Point: Haaland's Penalty and Liverpool's Collapse

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk conceded the penalty with a rash challenge, and there was little the Dutch defender could do as City played scintillating attacking football for the remainder of the game.

Haaland's Hat-Trick and City’s Attacking Brilliance

His blond hair swinging behind him in a ponytail, Haaland netted his second two minutes into first-half stoppage time with a well-placed header from an excellent Antoine Semenyo cross.

Semenyo got on the scoresheet himself five minutes after the break, latching on to a ball in behind from Rayan Cherki and chipping it beautifully past Giorgi Mamardashvili, and Haaland completed his treble with a shot off the underside of the crossbar in the 57th minute.

Liverpool's Struggles and City’s Commanding Finish

Salah's Missed Penalty and Liverpool Fans' Reaction

Liverpool's woes continued when Mohamed Salah, who is set to leave the club at the end of the season, capped off a poor performance by having his penalty saved by James Trafford, snuffing out any faint hopes Liverpool might have had of a comeback. 

As the game turned into a victory parade, many Liverpool fans started heading for the exits, and City manager Pep Guardiola rang the changes, replacing Haaland with Omar Marmoush, the Norwegian striker receiving a standing ovation as he left the field. 

FA Cup Semi-Finals and Haaland’s Reflections

Upcoming Fixtures

In the other quarter-finals, Chelsea take on Port Vale and Southampton host Arsenal later on Saturday, with Leeds United travelling to West Ham United on Sunday. 

Wembley Awaits: Haaland’s Thoughts

The semi-finals will take place at Wembley, and Haaland is relishing a return to the stadium. 

Player Reaction

"First half, we struggled a bit, but then we after around 30 minutes we kept going and in the end it's an amazing game. Another Wembley trip for us is amazing and important," he told broadcaster TNT. 

"I think (my form this season) has been a bit too much up and down, which is not good enough. I cannot keep on thinking about what I could have done differently or what didn't happen, or what happened. I have to think about the next game."

(Reporting by Philip O'Connor, editing by Ed Osmond)