Erling Haaland delivered a devastating performance to send Manchester City marching into the FA Cup semi-finals, scoring a hat-trick in a commanding 4-0 victory over Liverpool at the Etihad

Stadium on Saturday. On a day of one-sided quarter-final clashes, Chelsea also surged into the last four with a resounding 7-0 demolition of Port Vale.

Liverpool began brightly and looked capable of troubling City in the opening half-hour, with Mohamed Salah squandering an early opportunity that could have changed the tone of the match. However, the contest turned decisively in the 37th minute when Haaland calmly converted a penalty after a foul on Nico O’Reilly.

Virgil van Dijk’s mistimed challenge handed City the breakthrough, and from that moment the hosts took complete control. City’s attacking play became fluid and relentless, leaving Liverpool struggling to contain wave after wave of pressure.

Haaland doubled the lead just before halftime, rising to meet a pinpoint cross from Antoine Semenyo and guiding a header beyond Giorgi Mamardashvili. The Norwegian striker’s movement and physical presence proved too much for Liverpool’s defense throughout.

The second half offered no respite. Semenyo added a third goal five minutes after the restart, finishing cleverly after being played through by Rayan Cherki. Haaland then completed his hat-trick in the 57th minute, firing a powerful effort off the underside of the crossbar to cap a clinical display.

Liverpool’s misery was compounded when Salah saw a penalty saved by James Trafford, effectively ending any hopes of a comeback. As City turned the closing stages into a celebration, many Liverpool supporters began leaving early, while Pep Guardiola rotated his squad and Haaland departed to a standing ovation.

Reflecting on the win, Guardiola admitted his side needed time to settle but praised their response. “We struggled early on, but after 30 minutes we found our rhythm. It’s an amazing result and another trip to Wembley is very important,” he said.

At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea rediscovered their scoring touch in emphatic fashion. After going more than 300 minutes without a goal, they needed just over a minute to break the deadlock against Port Vale, with Jorrel Hato capitalizing on defensive lapses.

Joao Pedro extended the lead before an own goal from Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel made it 3-0 by halftime. Chelsea continued their dominance after the break, with Tosin Adarabioyo and Andrey Santos both scoring headers, while Estevao added a poacher’s finish and Alejandro Garnacho converted a penalty to complete the rout.

The victory provided much-needed relief for Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior following a difficult run of four consecutive defeats and offered a timely boost ahead of their upcoming Premier League clash with Manchester City.

Elsewhere in the FA Cup quarter-finals, Southampton host Arsenal later on Saturday, while Leeds United travel to West Ham United on Sunday. The semi-finals will be staged at Wembley Stadium. Photo by Cléria De Souza, Wikimedia commons.