Manchester City booked their tickets to Wembley once again after stream-rolling Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-final at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Following the international break, Pep Guardiola‘s side were back at the Etihad Stadium off the back of winning the Carabao Cup final over Arsenal two weeks ago – though the Manchester City manager was only allowed in the stands as he served the second of a two-game touchline ban.
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City were once again up for the cup as the team came flying out of the blocks with lots of early pressure. This finally paid off after around 35 minutes as Virgil van Dijk fouled Nico O’Reilly in the box, earning a penalty for the home side.
Erling Haaland sent goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili the wrong way from 12 yards to give his side the lead, causing the Etihad Stadium to erupt. The Norwegian then doubled City’s lead as he headed in Antoine Semenyo‘s cross seconds before the half-time whistle.
Match Report & Player Ratings: Manchester City 4-0 Liverpool (FA Cup Quarter Final)
Things went from bad to worse for Liverpool in the second half as their opponents notched a third through a marvellous chip from Semenyo over Mamardashvili. The hosts did not have to wait long for Haaland to get a well-deserved hat-trick, his 12th for City since arriving in 2023.
Matheus Nunes then fouled Hugo Ekitike in the box, presenting Mohamed Salah with an opportunity to get his name on the scoresheet. James Trafford stood tall and threw himself to the ground to deny the Egyptian winger from getting his side a consolation.
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Here are five things we learned from City’s Easter weekend victory over Liverpool!
1. Haaland’s confidence is back
A few uncertain months have followed Haaland’s blistering start to the campaign, with the goals and assists somewhat drying up as we moved into 2026. This has, of course, impacted the team negatively and led to some less-than-desirable results since Christmas.
However, after a decent showing in the Carabao Cup final with some good link-up and hold-up play, the 25-year-old was back with a bang on Saturday afternoon. His three goals proved decisive in sending City through to the semi-final but his overall play exuded confidence, which was so good to see.
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Haaland getting in the right mindset couldn’t have happened at a better time, with the Premier League title race into the last stretch and the FA Cup trophy just two matches away.
2. City fit and firing ahead of title showdown
As mentioned above, alongside Haaland, Manchester City as a team has had some blips in form since the turn of the year. Following a dismal display away to Real Madrid and a disappointing draw with West Ham, things have really started to pick up for the Citizens.
A battling performance from the 10 men hosting Los Blancos in Manchester was followed up with a sublime showing at Wembley to win the Carabao Cup. This energy and hunger were carried over into Saturday’s game at the Etihad Stadium, with City looking like a different animal in recent games.
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With the Premier League title race at the make-or-break stage with Arsenal, Guardiola’s side has to capitalise on this momentum and hurl themselves back into the mix before May.
Abdukodir Khusanov’s Real Madrid performance was his Manchester City coming-of-age
3. Raw pace and power of Khusanov
Abdukodir Khusanov was magnificent once again during Manchester City’s FA Cup win, despite consistently going under the radar with the media.
As a fan and as a writer, it is oh so frustrating to hear pundits consistently refer to his debut against Chelsea in 2025 due to five bad minutes to start his career in England.
Ever since that match, Khusanov has been the club’s best defender, showing raw pace and power to catch the quickest attackers and tackle them emphatically.
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Saturday was no different, with the young Uzbekistan international once again showing why he is one of the first and most important names on the City teamsheet these days.
4. Trafford’s clean sheet
James Trafford has had a tough first season back at Manchester City, having arrived back at the club in the summer with the aim of being the first-choice goalkeeper. Not long after his arrival, Champions League winner Gianluigi Donnarumma was signed – and the young English keeper found himself on the bench most weeks.
When he has been given chances to play, Trafford has looked calm, composed and at times, immense. Starting at Wembley last month, he produced a triple save to ensure the silverware was brought back to Manchester, seeing him earn an England debut in the international break.
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Against Liverpool, he again looked assured between the sticks, even saving a penalty from an all-time Premier League great in Mohamed Salah. After several nearly men in the back-up goalkeeper spot over the years, City are finally blessed to have two sublime shotstoppers in their squad.
5. “Wembley again ole ole…!”
There’s a reason why the sky blue faithful lovingly refer to Wembley as ‘Etihad South’. Since Guardiola’s arrival in 2016, Manchester City have visited the home of England’s National Team a record-breaking 23 times.
Despite not always coming away from Wembley with the trophy, the sheer number of appearances at Etihad South in the last decade is an incredibly impressive feat. With Liverpool easily dispatched on Saturday afternoon, City have booked their place in the FA Cup semi-final.
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Guardiola’s side will look to avenge their past two campaigns, which both ended in defeat in the final, coming after 2023, when City last won the competition en route to a historic treble.
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