Man City Crush Liverpool in Historic Masterclass: Every Player Rated

Manchester City secured a record-breaking eighth straight FA Cup semifinal appearance with an emphatic 4–0 win over Liverpool on Saturday.

After a sluggish opening, City came alive late in the first half. Erling Haaland converted a penalty to put his team ahead, then nodded home a superb header seven minutes into stoppage time.

Antoine Semenyo struck a third almost immediately after the interval and Haaland wrapped up his hat-trick before the hour mark to seal their Wembley berth and keep their late-season ambitions very much alive.

Winners and Losers

Winners

Erling Haaland's hat-trick was clinical and devastating. It was the 28th of his career and the first scored against Liverpool since 1937. What more could you ask for from your center forward?

Special mention must go to goalkeeper James Trafford. Largely uninvolved in the first half, the reserve stopper stepped up after the break to derail Mohamed Salah's farewell tour with a series of outstanding saves, including one from the penalty spot.

Losers

It may not matter in the grand scheme of things, but this was far from Matheus Nunes' finest hour. Liverpool's early attacking threat consistently came through his flank, and the right back's struggles were laid bare when he brought down Hugo Ekitiké inside the box to concede a penalty.

Man City Player Ratings vs. Liverpool (4-2-3-1)

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: James Trafford—9.2: Relatively quiet in the opening 45 minutes before delivering a commanding second-half display. Made several superb stops to deny Salah, including a penalty save.

RB: Matheus Nunes—7.3: Liverpool's most dangerous moments came through his channel as Nunes found it difficult to contain the combination of Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitiké. Gave away a careless penalty against the Frenchman.

CB: Abdukodir Khusanov—7.2: Caught off guard early by Mohamed Salah but regrouped quickly and grew into a commanding presence.

CB: Marc Guéhi—7.3: Delivered some sharp forward passes to help City build momentum. Has now gotten the better of Liverpool — the club he nearly transferred to last summer — five times this season.

LB: Nico O'Reilly—8.8: Announced himself early with some wonderfully nimble footwork. Proved too quick for Liverpool, especially Virgil van Dijk, who was left chasing his shadow before conceding a penalty.

DM: Rodri—7.5: Kept the tempo and rhythm of City's play perfectly controlled. Has clearly rediscovered his best form at just the right moment.

DM: Bernardo Silva—7.3: Became increasingly influential as the match wore on and, predictably, City looked significantly sharper whenever he got on the ball.

RM: Antoine Semenyo—8.3: Not the most active game in terms of volume, but his persistent desire to take on his marker created constant anxiety in Liverpool's defensive line. Delivered a fine cross for Haaland's header before finishing his own goal with composure.

AM: Rayan Cherki—8.1: Visibly frustrated after an early penalty appeal was waved away, but refused to let it affect his performance as he continued to orchestrate play. Produced some breathtaking passes that sliced through Liverpool's defense.

LM: Jérémy Doku—6.5: City's game plan was clearly to set Doku up in one-on-one situations against Joe Gomez. He was regularly involved and generally got past his man, though the end product was inconsistent.

ST: Erling Haaland—9.6: Periodically dropped into deeper areas and caused havoc in Liverpool's backline with his powerful surging runs. Dispatched a composed penalty, headed home brilliantly and added a tidy finish to complete the hat-trick.

SUB: Savinho (62' for Doku)—6.8

SUB: Nico González (62' for Rodri)—6.3

SUB: Tijjani Reijnders (70' for Cherki)—6.2

SUB: Phil Foden (71' for Semenyo)—6.0

SUB: Omar Marmoush (77' for Haaland)—6.1

Subs not used: Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK), Nathan Aké, Rayan Aït-Nouri, Mateo Kovačić.

What the Ratings Tell Us

The Numbers That Explain City's Dominant Victory