A complete demolition of the Reds and a flawless performance by the Citizens. Haaland completed a hat-trick, while Salah, sadly, missed a penalty in his final game against Man City as a Liverpool player.
Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick as Manchester City dominated Liverpool 4-0, securing a place in the FA Cup semifinals for a record-extending eighth consecutive season.
Antoine Semenyo also found the net as City continued their pursuit of a second domestic treble, delivering a commanding performance at the Etihad Stadium.
It was another disappointing day in an underwhelming campaign for Liverpool, further compounded when Mohamed Salah was denied from the penalty spot by James Trafford.
Salah was making his first appearance since announcing he would leave the Reds at the end of the season, and this was far from the send-off he would have wanted.
The result increased the pressure on Liverpool boss Arne Slot ahead of a challenging Champions League trip to Paris Saint-Germain.
Facing a City team that had already defeated them twice this season and had never lost a home FA Cup tie under Pep Guardiola, it was always going to be tough.
The game started evenly, but once City took the lead, there was no turning back, with Haaland standing out as he claimed his 12th hat-trick for the club.
Sir Alex Ferguson was an unexpected spectator, while early threats came from Jérémy Doku and Hugo Ekitike at either end.
Matheus Nunes fired at Giorgi Mamardashvili, who quickly launched a counter, putting Salah through on goal. The Egyptian looked certain to score but, under pressure from Abdukodir Khusanov, his shot went well wide. Ekitike also failed to find the target.
City had a penalty appeal denied after Rayan Cherki went down under Milos Kerkez, with Guardiola watching the replay from the stand during his touchline ban. VAR upheld the decision.
However, Michael Oliver awarded a penalty when Nico O’Reilly was tripped after turning Virgil van Dijk. Haaland converted from 12 yards for his second goal in seven games and 31st of the season.
He doubled the lead in first-half stoppage time after Cherki released Semenyo with a clever pass, and the Norwegian headed the Ghana international’s cross past Mamardashvili.
City increased the pace after the break, and Semenyo made it 3-0 after another fine Cherki assist. With confidence high, Semenyo nearly lobbed the keeper from the centre circle.
Haaland completed his treble before the hour, smashing in a shot off O’Reilly’s cutback.
The City fans celebrated with a Poznan, while Cherki attempted some flicks in his own box.
The mood dipped briefly as Nunes fouled Ekitike, then lifted again as Trafford denied Salah’s penalty.
The match wound down, highlighted by Cherki sitting on the bench wearing international teammate Ekitike’s shirt after being substituted.
