When Erling Haaland swept the ball home for a first Manchester City hat-trick since August 2024 it sent swathes of Liverpool fans for the exits. Only 57 minutes were gone yet City were cruising at 4-0 and Arne Slot’s men were being schooled.

Haaland’s third, in which Jérémy Doku and Nico O’Reilly walked the ball through Liverpool before the No 9 hooked in off the bar, epitomised the patheticalness that set in with the striker’s 39th-minute penalty opener.

Until then those in red went toe-to-toe with their hosts, Hugo Ekitiké (twice) and Mohamed Salah spurning chances they had to take. Yet after the break the chronically impotent Salah missed two more, early chances, before failing where Haaland prospered – from the spot: at 4-0 down, the Egyptian steered the ball to James Trafford’s left, City’s goalkeeper parried, and Liverpool’s misery deepened further.

The beleaguered Slot knows the heaviest defeat handed to his Liverpool will damage his job prospects because next up is Wednesday’s date at the European champions, Paris Saint-Germain; if they go down in similar manner in the Champions League quarter-final, then the owners may have a decision to make.

Marc Guehi’s reaction

It was a good win. You have to suffer at times against a top team like Liverpool, but we stuck together today. I’m super happy for [Erling Haaland], he works so hard for the team.

[On Liverpool’s lack of an orthodox No9] We were aware they could do that. As a defender it’s hard because players are trying to pull you out of position, so you have to be wary and communicate a lot.

[On winning five times against Liverpool this season with Palace and City] It’s not me! It’s just a coincidence.

[What’s it like playing for City?] It’s hard to put into words. It’s relentless, it’s exciting; it’s everything I wanted.

[What’s Pep like?] He’s exactly how he comes across on TV. He loves football, loves players. And he wants to win.

90 min “I’m reminded of the anecdote about the Nottingham Forest scout going to assess Roy Keane,” writes Niall Mullen. “Keane’s team was losing 5-0 but he kept demanding the ball, driving forward etc in the way he would do for over a decade in the Premier League. It would be easier to accept more time for Slot if Liverpool showed any character in adversity or desire to do the next right thing. But all you’re seeing at the moment is the absence of, well, anything.”

89 min Apparently City have set a new record today: 18 consecutive wins at home in the FA Cup. Clapham Rovers won 17 in a row in the 19th century.

88 min Now Nico Gonzalez is booked for a tactical foul.

88 min “Opta’s model gives City a 2.79% chance of the title right now,” notes David Howell. “Misplaced decimal point.”

87 min Konate is booked for something or other.

86 min It’s like a pre-season friendly now. Both teams are done for the day.

84 min “If only John McEnroe were here to world-wearily point out that Father Time remains undefeated, in that clipped Queens brogue,” writes Paul Griffin. “I just hope when my combination of unearthly speed, gladiatorial strength, lethal touch and ice-in-the-veins composure starts to wane, I’ll know when to bow out.”

My MBM hasn’t been that bad, has it?

81 min It sounds a bit silly but I wonder how much City’s excellent performance with 10 men against Real Madrid did for their confidence. They lost the game and the tie, but since then they’ve beaten Arsenal and hammered Liverpool.

79 min “Between Hughes’ summer transfer window which ignored gaping holes in the squad, FSG abandoning the multi-club model that attracted Edwards back to the club and Slot overseeing results like these, it’s hard to see all three being at the club next season,” says Graeme Neill. “Possibly all of them will be gone.”

I know I’m in an increasingly small minority but I keep returning to how much time Sir Alex Ferguson needed at Manchester United. Times change, sure, but some truths are immutable. That said, you don’t need a PhD in Reading The Room to know what’s likely to happen at Anfield this summer.

77 min: Liverpool substitution Federico Chiesa replaces a woebegone Mo Salah.

77 min: City substitution Omar Marmoush replaces the hat-trick hero Erling Haaland. His second goal was a beauty, both the creation and the finish.

76 min Mac Allister whistles a long-range shot that swirls and forces Trafford to change direction before saving low to his left.

74 min Haaland plays a promising through pass towards Reijnders, who is outpaced by the last man Konate. Good defendi ng.

73 min Cherki swapped shirts with Ekitike, who was also subbed, and was in the process of putting it on when somebody apparently had a word over his shoulder. I didn’t realise Roy Keane was part of the City backroom team.

71 min: Man City substitutions Phil Foden and Tiijani Reijnders come on for Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki. I suspect both teams would take the final whistle now, certainly Liverpool.

68 min: Liverpool substitutions Alexis Mac Allister, Rio Ngumoha and Cody Gakpo come on for Ryan Gravenberch, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike. All eyes are on on Paris on Wednesday now.

67 min Bernardo Silva is booked for something or other.

65 min Kerkez is booked for something or other. I didn’t give Trafford enough credit for that penalty save – it wasn’t the greatest penalty, sure, but that’s a huge moment for a young goalkeeper.

62 min: Liverpool substitution Jeremie Frimpong replaces Joe Gomez.

62 min: Double substitution for City Nico Gonzalez and Savinho replace Jeremy Doku and Rodri.

60 min One of the biggest cheers of the day comes when Cherki is forced to the byline by Szoboszlai but gets out of trouble with a nonchalant pass round the corner. He’s so much fun to watch.

It’s another lovely team goal from City. Doku released the underlapping O’Reilly on the left side of the area; he could have shot himself but looked up and gave the goal to Haaland.

Either side of half-time, City have been sensational.

56 min Gravenberch plays another good pass to find Salah in space on the right side of the area. He takes the shot first-time but curls high and wide of the far post. At his best, Salah’s finishes were so relaxed but that hasn’t the case today. Right now, he probably wants it too much.

55 min It’s worth reiterating that there was nothing between the teams for the first 35 minutes. But the last 20 have been horrible for Liverpool, and maybe a little ominous for Arsenal. City look as good as they have at any stage this season.

54 min Semenyo tries to score from inside his own half! It was a really good effort that landed on the roof of the net with Mamardashvili backpedalling urgently. He had it covered but it was a fine try from Semenyo.

52 min Cherki strolls disdainfully past Kerkez, turns back inside and plays another brilliant through pass to Semenyo. This time Semenyo’s touch is poor and the danger passes.

Cherki is playing delightfully – a maverick who is dominating rather than decorating the game.

52 min: Chance for Salah Gravenberch angles a terrific through pass to Salah, who flicks a shot across goal with the outside of the right foot. Trafford gets done very smartly to his right to push it away.

O’Reilly plays a simple pass infield to Cherki, 25 yards from goal. He turns and guides a lovely through pass, perfectly in sync with Semenyo’s run behind Van Dijk. Semenyo finishes with aplomb, teasing a majestic finish around Mamardashvili with his left foot. That’s another delightful goal.

50 min “For all Klopp’s bluster it’s clear he largely created a spirit of believing that all things are possible,” writes Niall Mullen. “Slot’s side seem to constantly expect the worst to happen and then feel sorry for themselves when it does. Like Sideshow Bob but if he laid out all the rakes himself.”

Didn’t they come from behind quite a lot last season? From afar they look like a textbook case of a decent team whose confidence is really fragile.

49 min City pass the clock down for 60 seconds or so. There might be a lot of that in this half, and that’s not a criticism.

47 min “I was planning on putting a couple of shelves up after this match,” says Matt Dony. “Maybe I’ll just get on with that now…”

You’re a disgrace to Istanbul.

46 min City get the second half under way.

Half-time reading

Cherki, on the right, played a perfectly weighted pass to the underlapping Semenyo. He clipped an excellent first-time cross to the near post, where Haaland got across Konate and guided an expert header into the far corner. That’s a lovely goal.

43 min Liverpool need half-time. They’ve played well for the most part but it’s been all City since the goal.

40 min Oh to have a difficult season like Erling Haaland: that’s his 31st goal for City in all competitions.

38 min Nico O’Reilly’s goal threat in open play is remarkable for a young full-back. For any full-back.

36 min There haven’t been many clear chances but this has been a really enjoyable first half. Both teams are full of intent and playing as if they’re allergic to extra-time, never mind penalties.

34 min Rodri is booked for a tactical foul on Ekitike.

31 min A really dangerous cross from Semenyo, hitherto quiet, is pawed away by the diving Mamardashvili.

27 min: Just over from Ekitike! Salah clips a pass into the area for Jones, back to goal near the penalty spot. He’s challenged by Rodri but the ball breaks for Ekitike, who spanks it just over the bar from 15 yards. For a player of his ability, that’s a pretty good chance.

25 min Liverpool were dreadful at the Etihad in November, so meek, but you can’t accuse them of that today. They’ve played some purposeful stuff and have had fractionally more of the ball than City.

24 min After a quiet few minutes, Gravenberch pulls back the raiding Doku and is booked.

19 min Pep Guardiola criss-crosses his hands, the universal signal for ‘it’s a joke’, after seeing a replay. I suspect it would have been referee’s call either way, so if it had been given on the field it wouldn’t have been overturned by VAR either.

18 min: Penalty appeal! Haaland rumbles into the area and is challenged well by Konate I think. Cherki collects the loose ball just inside the area and goes over after a challenge from Kerkez. He’s convinced it should be a penalty, but Michael Oliver doesn’t agree and it’s cleared by VAR.

17 min: Chance for City! Bernardo Silva angles a superb through pass to Cherki, whose first touch on the run is unusually poor. He still manages to beat Kerkez to the loose ball and screw a shot that is blocked by the outrushing Mamardashvili.

14 min: Chance for Salah! Now it’s City’s turn to keep the ball for a spell. Eventually Nunes shoots straight at Mamardashvili from 20 yards. His instant goalkick finds its way through to Salah in the area, but he shoots well wide from the left edge of the six-yard box.

In fact, replays show that Khusanov – who originally ran past the ball and fell over - made a brilliant recovery tackle a split-second before Salah was about to shoot. Peak Salah might have got the shot away quicker, I’m not sure.

10 min Ekitike combines nicely with Wirtz before shooting wide from 20 yards. He looks really sharp and keeps pulling out to the left, Thierry Henry-style.

8 min Guehi’s clearance only goes as far as Szoboszlai, who pings an instant left-foot shot from 20 yards that is blocked. Liverpool have started very positively.

7 min He curls it under the crossbar and Mamardashvili claims with authority.

7 min It’s been a lively start to the game. Cherki wins the first corner for City, which Bernardo Silva will take…

5 min Free-kick to Liverpool on the left. Szoboszlai clips it in, Konate helps it on and Trafford claims.

3 min At the other end, Khusanov takes the sting off Wirtz’s shot from the edge of the area after a sharp pass – possibly too sharp by Ekitike.

2 min Doku has an early pop from 22 yards. Mamardashvili watches it go wide of his right-hand post.

1 min Peep peep! Liverpool kick off from right to left and kick straight for touch.

Pre-match optimism

“You may not be entirely surprised to learn that I’m not confident about this game,” writes proud Welshman and Liverpool fan Matt Dony. “But, having not terribly enjoyed the international break, it would be nice to have something to cheer about. So I’m trying to be rational! The Liverpool XI is strong. City aren’t the force they used to be. The unpredictability of knock-out competition. Szoboszlai has been unplayable at times this season. There are reasons to be cheerful! (City are still going to win, aren’t they? I hate football…)”

“It’s 20 years since Liverpool last won an away FA Cup quarter-final against a Premier League side, when they won 7-0 at Birmingham City in 2006,” writes Andrew Goudie. “I don’t think a repeat of that scoreline is on the cards today, but you never know!”

In this case, I think you do kno- actually I’ve just remembered this, so you’re right.

Arne Slot’s pre-match thoughts

[On Mo Salah’s long goodbye] It’s such a vital part of the season and to have all your players in form is important. But it’s not so much about the individual – the team has to play well and then the individual can shine. Mo worked really hard to be back today and that’s why we can start him.

I haven’t picked my team [for PSG]. We go game by game. We have some players coming back from injury like Mo – can he play 90 minutes or 120 minutes if we go to extra-time? Joe Gomez and Jeremie Frimpong are the same. It’s a good problem because to play so many games means we are in a lot of competitions.

It’s a big boost [to have Hugo Ekitike back], even more so because the other unbelievable No9 we’ve signed isn’t available.

Pep Guardiola’s pre-match thoughts

It always helps [winning a trophy]. But when you finish one chapter you open another one, and we have a chance to reach a semi-final.

Liverpool have always been an extraordinary team. The players are there, they have a top-class manager. But the game we played against them here in the Premier League was really good. At Anfield it was tight and I’m sure this will be a tight game.

[On James Trafford’s inclusion] Since I started as a manager I have always played the second keeper in the cups. James has always performed pretty well.

[On watching the game from the stands] The view is much, much better. It’s better to be in the stands because [on the touchline] I’ll get another yellow card!

Pep Guardiola will not stand in Rodri’s way if the midfielder wishes to leave Manchester City for Real Madrid, though the manager believes he will stay at the club beyond this summer.

During the international break Rodri, whose contract expires in June 2027, was asked about reports that Real’s president, Florentino Pérez, wished to sign him. When answering, the 29-year-old referenced how being a former Atlético Madrid player would be no obstacle.

“There are other players who’ve taken that path,” he said. “Not directly, but over time. For me, you can’t turn down the best clubs in the world.”

Reminded of his stance that no footballer would ever be prevented from leaving City should they wish to, Guardiola said this would apply to Rodri. “Absolutely. The organisation of the club is above all of us – if one player is not happy, they have to leave.”

The small print

No replays in the FA Cup quarter-finals. If it needs to go extra-time and penalties, then it needs to go extra-time and penalties.

Arne Slot has no regrets over his treatment of Mohamed Salah and claimed it was entirely the forward’s decision to leave Liverpool at the end of the season.

The Liverpool head coach declined to divulge why or when Salah decided to leave the club as he faced the media on Friday for the first time since the Egypt international’s announcement. Slot believes it should be left to Salah to explain the reasons for exiting 12 months before his contract is due to expire.

There were more important reasons for Jürgen Klopp’s return to Liverpool last Saturday, but it was apposite his presence reminded Anfield of the unshakable bond and belief they once shared, the joy his football brought. Those pillars of Klopp’s reign are weakening under Arne Slot and April may determine whether they are left standing at all.

Two cup quarter-finals in succession should signal a season on the right track for Liverpool; showpiece occasions such as Manchester City in the FA Cup on Saturday and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday whetting the appetite for what May could have in store.