After the international break, pep guardiolaThe team returned to the Etihad Stadium after winning the Carabao Cup final. Arsenal two weeks ago – although city of manchester The coach was only allowed in the stands while serving the second of a two-game suspension on the sideline.
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City were back in the cup fight as the team came out firing with a lot of pressure from the start. This finally paid off after about 35 minutes, as Virgil van Dijk missed Nico O’Reilly in the area, which led to a penalty for the locals.
Erling Haaland sent porter Giorgi Mamardashvili in the opposite direction from 12 yards to give his team the lead, causing the Etihad Stadium to erupt. The Norwegian then doubled City’s lead by heading in Antonio Semenyo‘s cross seconds before the half-time whistle.
Match report and player ratings: Manchester City 4-0 Liverpool (FA Cup quarter-finals)
Things went from bad to worse during Liverpool in the second half, when their opponents scored the third thanks to a wonderful play by Semenyo on Mamardashvili. The hosts did not have to wait long for Haaland to score a well-deserved hat-trick, his 12th for City since his arrival in 2023.
Matheus Nunes then committed foul Hugo Ekitike in the box, presenting Mohamed Salah with the opportunity to put your name on the record. James Trafford He stood tall and threw himself on the ground to prevent the Egyptian winger from giving his team a consolation.
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Here are five things we learned from City’s win over Liverpool on Easter weekend!
1. Haaland’s confidence is back
A few months of uncertainty have followed Haaland’s spectacular start to the campaign, with goals and assists drying up a bit as we move towards 2026. This, of course, has negatively impacted the team and led to some less than desirable results since Christmas.
However, after a decent performance in the Carabao Cup final with good connections and holding play, the 25-year-old returned strongly on Saturday afternoon. His three goals proved decisive in sending City to the semi-final, but his overall play exuded confidence, which was very pleasing to see.
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Haaland’s right mindset couldn’t have come at a better time, with the Premier League title race down the stretch and the FA Cup trophy just two games away.
2. City are in top form ahead of the title match
As mentioned above, along with Haaland, Manchester City as a team has had some issues since the start of the year. After a dismal performance against Real Madrid and a disappointing draw against West Ham, things have really started to look up for the Citizens.
A fighting performance from the 10 men who hosted Los Blancos in Manchester was followed by a sublime performance at Wembley to win the Carabao Cup. This energy and hunger carried over into Saturday’s game at the Etihad Stadium, with City looking like a different animal in the final few games.
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With the Premier League title race at a decisive stage with Arsenal, Guardiola’s side need to build on this momentum and throw themselves back into contention before May.
Abdukodir Khusanov’s performance at Real Madrid was his coming of age at Manchester City
3. Raw rhythm and power from Khusanov
Abdukodir Khusanov was magnificent once again during Manchester City’s FA Cup victory, despite constantly flying under the media’s radar.
As a fan and as a writer, it is very frustrating to hear pundits constantly refer to his debut against Chelsea in 2025 due to five poor minutes to start his England career.
Since that match, Khusanov has been the club’s best defender, showing speed and power to catch the fastest attackers and attack them with emphasis.
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Saturday was no different: the young Uzbekistan international showed once again why he is one of the first and biggest names in the City squad these days.
4. Trafford’s clean sheet
James Trafford has had a difficult first season at Manchester City, having returned to the club in the summer with the aim of being the first-choice goalkeeper. Shortly after his arrival, Champions League winner Gianluigi Donnarumma was brought in and the young English goalkeeper was on the bench for most weeks.
When given the opportunity to play, Trafford was calm, collected and, at times, immense. Starting at Wembley last month, he made a triple save to ensure the silverware returned to Manchester, allowing him to make his England debut in the international break.
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Against Liverpool, he once again looked confident between the sticks, and even saved a penalty from one of the Premier League’s all-time greats in Mohamed Salah. After several near-men in the back-up goalkeeper position over the years, City are finally lucky enough to have two sublime goalkeepers in their squad.
5. “Wembley again ole ole…!”
There’s a reason why the sky-blue faithful affectionately refer to Wembley as ‘Etihad South’. Since Guardiola’s arrival in 2016, Manchester City have visited the home of the English team a record 23 times.
Despite not always leaving Wembley with the trophy, the sheer number of appearances at Etihad South over 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 team will look to avenge their last two campaigns, which ended in defeat in the final, after 2023, when City last won the competition en route to a historic treble.