Erling Haaland scored a hat trick and Manchester City hammered Liverpool 4-0 in their FA Cup quarter-final tie at the Etihad Stadium, a result that looked every bit like the return of a striker City had been missing for months.
Haaland’s first goal came from the penalty spot, where he converted calmly. His second was a clever header. His third was a trademark finish from a Nico O’Reilly cross, the kind of strike that has long defined his game when he is at full pace and full confidence.
That mattered because the goals had dried up during the opening three months of 2026, leaving Haaland in a form slump at a point when City could least afford one. Pep Guardiola had already made clear on Friday, before City’s clash with Chelsea, how much his team needed their leading scorer to be finding the net again. “It’s so important for us (to see Haaland scoring),” Guardiola said.
Read Also: Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez to miss Manchester City clash after ban
The manager’s faith in November that “the goals will always be there” sounded prescient after the Liverpool game, where Haaland again looked like the forward who can change a match in a handful of touches. Guardiola pointed to the movement for the second goal and said, “I liked the second one, he made the movement to the near post.” He added that sometimes a player needs “a reset,” and likened the mental cleanup after a miss to the way golfers forget a bogey and attack the next shot.
The timing gives City something more than momentum. Arsenal’s shock defeat to Bournemouth has opened the door in the Premier League title race, and City were hoping Haaland’s form from last weekend would carry into a league fixture against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge today. When Haaland is in this kind of mood, City have a weapon in their armory Arsenal simply do not possess.
Read Also: Nada from Bernardo Silva as Guardiola awaits captain's future call
Guardiola said he expects that edge to keep growing. “Every season Erling will be better and better,” he said. If last weekend was a turning point, City’s title chase just became much more dangerous.
