Man City 4-0 Liverpool Player Ratings: Erling Haaland 9.5/10 Hat-Trick Destroys Liverpool as Man City Cruise Into FA Cup Semi-Finals

Liverpool arrived at the Etihad with genuine belief, and for the opening half-hour, they had every right to feel that way. Salah went close, Ekitike lashed agonisingly over from point-blank range, and Wirtz pulled the strings with the kind of elegant authority that had City's midfield scrambling to keep up. For 36 minutes, this felt like a contest that could genuinely go either way, until Van Dijk's needless foul on O'Reilly handed Haaland the penalty spot and everything changed in an instant.

From that moment, Manchester City were simply unstoppable. Haaland slammed home the penalty with ice-cold composure, then powered a header into the top-left corner in stoppage time to send the Etihad into delirium at the break. Cherki was everywhere, dazzling, teasing, and utterly unplayable, before setting up Semenyo's sublime chip just five minutes into the second half to make it three. Haaland completed his hat-trick before the hour, Salah missed a penalty that summed up Liverpool's desperate evening, and the away stand was emptying long before full-time as City booked their place in the FA Cup semi-finals for a record-extending eighth consecutive season.

The statistics told the full story of a contest that was closer than it looked for exactly 36 minutes and then never closed again. City accumulated 2.5 xG to Liverpool's 1.43, but the gulf in clinical finishing, creative authority, and individual quality on display at the Etihad was as wide as any seen in this fixture for years. Pep Guardiola, watching from the stands on a touchline ban, will have sat back and simply enjoyed the show, because that is exactly what this was. Here are Sportsdunia's Man City vs Liverpool player ratings.

Key Takeaways

• Haaland's hat-trick was the defining contribution of the tie, a penalty dispatched with absolute authority, making him the first player to score five goals against Liverpool in all competitions in a single season since Matt Le Tissier in 1993-94.
• Cherki was the creative force behind everything City produced and deserves enormous credit for a display that had Liverpool's midfield chasing shadows.
• Liverpool's inability to convert their early first-half chances proved the defining turning point of the entire tie.

Man City Player Ratings vs Liverpool

Here are the Man City player ratings for the Man City vs Liverpool fixture.

Goalkeeper

James Trafford - 9.0: What a display from the man between the sticks. His penalty save against Salah was a massive moment, a huge confidence boost. He made a total of five saves, including four from inside the box, and commanded his area with authority. We noticed his distribution was also on point, finding his man 93% of the time. Truly a top-class goalkeeping performance.

Defenders

Nico O'Reilly - 8.5: An absolutely outstanding performance from the full-back. He was a menace all game, winning the penalty for the first goal and then providing an assist. Defensively, he was a rock, winning 10 out of 15 duels and making four tackles. From our perspective, this was a complete performance that showcased his attacking and defensive prowess.

Abdukodir Khusanov - 7.5: A very composed and solid outing. He made two crucial blocked shots and was strong in the tackle. We were impressed by his passing accuracy of 95%, which helped City build from the back under pressure. He was a quiet but extremely effective presence in the backline.

Marc Guéhi - 7.0: A tidy and untroubled performance. He read the game well, making three clearances and an interception. His passing was crisp and accurate, and he never looked flustered against Liverpool's forwards. A solid partner in a defence that earned its clean sheet.

Matheus Nunes - 6.5: A mixed bag for Nunes. The only real negative was conceding the penalty with a clumsy foul. Outside of that moment, he was generally solid, winning most of his duels and contributing four clearances. It wasn't a perfect day, but he did his job for the most part.

Midfielders

Rodri - 7.0: The usual commanding presence in the middle of the park before he was substituted. He controlled the tempo, completed 92% of his passes, and recovered the ball six times. The yellow card was a slight blemish, but he laid the foundation for City's dominance. A really effective 62 minutes.

Bernardo Silva - 7.5: The captain led by example with his incredible work rate. He was everywhere, linking defence and attack and creating two chances for his teammates. We noticed he was always looking to get on the ball, with 91 touches. A tireless and intelligent performance.

Rayan Cherki - 7.5: A very lively and creative display. He bagged an assist for City's third goal and created another big chance. His dribbling was a constant problem for the Liverpool defence. He was a key part of City's fluid attacking moves before being subbed off.

Jérémy Doku - 6.5: He was active and willing to run at his man, but the final product was just missing. He got into good positions but couldn't quite make the decisive pass or shot. It was an okay performance, but you felt he could have offered more.

Forwards

Antoine Semenyo - 8.0: A fantastic outing capped with a well-taken goal and a clever assist. He was full of energy, pressing from the front and making smart runs. His goal was a clinical finish, and his assist showed great awareness. A superb contribution to the victory.

Erling Haaland - 9.5: Simply unstoppable. A clinical hat-trick from the Norwegian machine, who was the highest-rated player on the pitch. He converted his penalty with ease and was in the right place at the right time for his other two goals. He only had 16 touches, but three of them ended up in the back of the net. That's the definition of a world-class striker.

Manager

P. Lijnders - 8.5: His game plan was executed to perfection. Manchester City looked superior in every department, pressing with intensity and attacking with ruthless efficiency. The decision to start with such an aggressive setup paid off handsomely. A tactical masterclass against a major rival.

Liverpool Player Ratings vs Manchester City

Check out the Liverpool player ratings vs Manchester City.

Goalkeeper

Giorgi Mamardashvili - 5.0: It's a tough day when you concede four goals. He was left horribly exposed by his defence for most of the goals. He did make three saves, but his distribution was poor, with only 47% pass accuracy. He couldn't do much to stem the tide.

Defenders

Joe Gomez - 4.5: Had an absolute torrid time against City's fluid attack and was substituted just after the hour mark. He won a decent number of his duels but was often caught out of position. From our perspective, he just couldn't cope with the pace and movement.

Virgil van Dijk - 3.0: A disastrous performance from the captain, and perhaps his worst in a Liverpool shirt. He looked a shadow of his former self, culminating in a clumsy challenge to give away the first-half penalty. He won just one of his three duels and seemed off the pace all game. A day to forget.

Ibrahima Konaté - 4.0: He was bullied and overwhelmed by Haaland. The City striker seemed to win every battle against him. Konaté lost more duels than he won and committed a couple of needless fouls, earning a late yellow card for his troubles. He just couldn't handle the physicality.

Milos Kerkez - 4.5: Like the rest of the backline, he was all at sea. He picked up a deserved yellow card and was dribbled past twice. He offered very little going forward to relieve the pressure on his defence. A very difficult afternoon for the full-back.

Midfielders

Curtis Jones - 5.0: He had a lot of the ball, with 64 touches and a 95% pass accuracy, but it was all ineffective. He was completely overrun in the midfield battle and failed to provide any defensive cover or creative spark. A tidy but ultimately pointless performance.

Dominik Szoboszlai - 5.5: One of the few who looked like he was trying to make something happen, creating two chances. However, he was incredibly wasteful in possession, losing the ball 15 times. His effort was there, but the quality was severely lacking on the day.

Ryan Gravenberch - 5.0: Largely anonymous in the midfield battle. He picked up a yellow card for a clumsy challenge and couldn't get a foothold in the game. He was rightly substituted after failing to make any real impact.

Florian Wirtz - 5.0: Another player who was barely noticeable. He had a shot blocked early on but faded completely from the game after that. For a player of his talent, it was a deeply disappointing and ineffective display before he was hooked.

Forwards

Mohamed Salah - 3.5: A genuine nightmare of a game for Liverpool's star man. The missed penalty was the lowest point of a performance where he also missed two other big chances. It was a shockingly poor display by his own high standards, and it cost his team dearly.

Hugo Ekitiké - 5.0: He did well to win the penalty with a clever run, but that was his only meaningful contribution. He was caught offside once and was generally isolated up front. He just couldn't get involved in the game enough to make a difference.

Manager

A. Slot - 3.0: A dreadful day at the office for the manager. His team looked tactically unprepared, defensively shambolic, and completely outfought. The decision to play such an open style against a rampant City side backfired spectacularly. The humiliating defeat rests heavily on his shoulders.

Man of the Match

Erling Haaland was the man of the match.

Worst Performer

Virgil van Dijk was the worst performer.