Haaland's Hat-Trick Humiliation: City Demolish Slot's Liverpool 4-0 in FA Cup Massacre

Picture this: a packed Etihad Stadium, Liverpool fans turning up in their red royalty gear, hoping for a cup upset. Instead, they witnessed Erling Haaland treating the FA Cup quarter-final like his personal playground, bagging a hat-trick as Manchester City ran riot with a 4-0 thrashing. Arne Slot's Reds collapsed in spectacular fashion, and even Mo Salah couldn't salvage the day with a missed penalty.

Tense Start Turns to City Domination

The game kicked off with Liverpool showing some early bite. Florian Wirtz tested James Trafford straight away, Hugo Ekitike blazed over, and Salah sliced wide from a tight angle. City weren't fazed though – Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki started probing, and Milos Kerkez had to be sharp at the back.

Then, boom – penalty to City after Virgil van Dijk clipped Liam O'Reilly. Haaland stepped up, cool as you like, and slotted home to make it 1-0. Liverpool pushed back, but just before the break, Antoine Semenyo whipped in a cross and Haaland nodded his second. 2-0 at half-time, and you could hear the away end's spirits deflating faster than a punctured match ball.

Yellow cards flew too – Ryan Gravenberch for fouling Doku, Rodri for hacking down Ekitike. Slot looked fuming on the touchline, but his side couldn't capitalise on their openings.

Second-Half Slaughter and Salah's Spot of Bother

If the first half was bad for Liverpool, the second was a full-on nightmare. Haaland completed his treble early doors, rifling home to make it 3-0. Semenyo then got in on the act, smashing in City's fourth – pure Pep Guardiola blitzkrieg.

Liverpool threw on Jeremy Frimpong for Ricky Gomez, but it was too little, too late. Salah forced a save from Trafford, and then came the moment that defined the day: penalty to the Reds after a foul on Ekitike. Up stepped Salah, but Trafford parried it away. As Ally McCoist quipped on TNT Sports, he didn't fancy the Egyptian king at all – calling him a 'shadow' of his former self amid exit rumours.

City fans rubbed it in, belting out 'You're getting sacked in the morning' at Slot. With Haaland bossing it, Marc Guéhi, Bernardo Silva, and the rest, this was Man City at their ruthless best. Liverpool? A new low, as the live blogs put it.

Team news beforehand had raised eyebrows: City with Trafford in goal, Nunes, Khusanov, Guéhi, O'Reilly in defence; Rodri, Bernardo, Semenyo in midfield; Cherki, Doku, Haaland up top. Liverpool countered with Mamardashvili, Gomez, Van Dijk, Ibrahima Konaté, Kerkez; Dominik Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Wirtz; Curtis Jones, Ekitike, Salah. Big talents, bigger disappointment.

Slot's Brutal Post-Match Reality Check

After the whistle, Slot didn't sugarcoat it. The miss from Salah 'summed up' their day – and chunks of the season. 'We've missed penalties before – Szoboszlai too – and failed to convert chances,' he admitted, pointing to that pre-half-time collapse like their last Etihad visit.

'Up until their pen, it was even, but we concede just before the break again.' Ouch. McCoist piled on, lamenting Salah's lack of confidence as he eyes a summer exit. Pundits are whispering about Van Dijk's future too, with calls for Slot's head growing louder.

This 4-0 drubbing, reported live by OneFootball, leaves Liverpool's cup dreams in tatters and Slot under the microscope. City march on, Haaland laughing all the way to the semis. What a way to kick off the quarter-final weekend – Chelsea vs Port Vale and Arsenal vs Southampton next, but nothing topped this Etihad demolition.

Fancy a pint to drown those sorrows, Reds? City fans are already toasting another trophy charge.