Cherki’s 6-7, Haaland’s Greggs, managerial legend watching – 10 moments you might have missed from Man City 4-0 Liverpool | OneFootball

Erling Haaland returned to his most ruthless form with a clinical hat-trick as Manchester City dismantled an insipid Liverpool 4-0 to secure a record-extending eighth consecutive FA Cup semi-final.

Watching from the stands while serving a touchline ban, Pep Guardiola witnessed his side build on their recent Carabao Cup triumph with a dominant display that left Arne Slot’s men looking toothless.

The breakthrough arrived in the 38th minute when Haaland converted a penalty following Virgil van Dijk’s clumsy foul on Nico O’Reilly, before the Norwegian doubled the lead on the stroke of half-time by heading home a precise Antoine Semenyo cross.

Despite early creativity from Florian Wirtz, Liverpool’s wastefulness proved fatal as Mohamed Salah – playing for the first time since announcing his impending summer exit – saw a golden opportunity blocked by Abdukodir Khusanov and a second-half penalty saved by James Trafford.

Manchester City remained far more clinical, with Antoine Semenyo clipping in a delightful third shortly after the interval following a delightful Rayan Cherki through ball, before Erling Haaland completed his 28th career treble to seal progression into the last-four.

This commanding victory kept Manchester City’s ambitions of a domestic cup double firmly on track as they prepare for a high-stakes return to Wembley later this month.

Aside from the obvious action on the pitch, there was plenty that you might have missed away from the football itself, with 10 moments spotted by eagle-eyed viewed around Saturday afternoon’s Etihad showdown.

Man United legend in the stands

Legendary former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was one of the high-profile guests in attendance at the Etihad Stadium, watching on from the stands in hospitality – with Michael Carrick’s side out of the competition.

Arsenal’s misery compounded

Manchester City made sure to celebrate their League Cup success in front of their home supporters for the very first time, parading their Carabao Cup trophy as the two teams walked out ahead of kick-off.

Such celebrations were certainly made sweeter later in the evening, with Mikel Arteta’s side falling short to a late goal from former Manchester City academy star Shea Charles in a 2-1 quarter-final defeat to Championship side Southampton on the south coast.

Pep Guardiola couldn’t contain himself

Manchester City’s head coach Pep Guardiola was certainly animated even whilst watching from the stands due to the second game of a two-match touchline ban, seated alongside his daughter Maria and close by to the likes of Sverre Nypan and Max Alleyne.

The Catalan tactician couldn’t believe his side weren’t awarded a penalty earlier in the contest when Rayan Cherki was brought down by Milos Kerkez, before celebrating wildly for the decision to grant a spot-kick for Virgil Van Dijk’s challenge on Nico O’Reilly.

A familiar number in the statistics file

Those assessing the state of play at half-time will have noticed that Manchester City recorded an expected goals (xG) of 1.15 in the first-half of the 4-0 win over Liverpool – which certainly raised a few smiles among fans given the number of charges the club faces for alleged breaches of financial rules in the Premier League.

City fans rubbed salt in Slot’s wounds

Many Manchester City fans will remember the tunes of Liverpool supporters last season at Anfield, claiming that Pep Guardiola could be ‘sacked in the morning’ as their run of difficult winter results was further compounded by the Reds.

Well, City supporters wasted no time in their own rendition of, “You’re getting sacked in the morning” aimed towards Liverpool’s Dutch boss, as Arne Slot faces a fight in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain and qualification for next season’s competition.

Cherki and Ekitike’s kit exchange blunder

In a moment that quickly made the rounds on social media, Rayan Cherki was spotted trying to put on a Hugo Ekitike shirt whilst seated on the Manchester City bench with the game ongoing.

The French playmaker of a Sky Blue persuasion was quickly instructed by someone seated close by to remove the shirt, before obliging and apologising to those around him, whilst others were keen to berate the Liverpool forward for swapping shirts mid-game as his teammates underwent a heavy defeat.

Erling Haaland’s post-match Greggs

Erling Haaland grabbed further headlines beyond his stellar hat-trick haul by posting a snap of himself tucking into a Greggs bake – with his pasty of choice unknown at this stage.

The Norwegian, who had just put Liverpool to the sword, captioned the image on his official Snapchat channel with a simple “Essentials x”, in a further sign of the Leeds-born striker loving life in England.

Cherki’s “6-7” dance move

The post-match celebrations saw Manchester City thank their home fans with a lap of appreciation on the Etihad Stadium pitch, with Rayan Cherki taking centre stage to perform a brief viral “6-7” dance having seemingly been egged on by supporters.

Joe Hart’s post-match chat with James Trafford

Following his impressive penalty save to deny Mohamed Salah, James Trafford was seen sharing a private moment by the Etihad Stadium tunnel with Manchester City legend Joe Hart.

Hart, who was at the stadium as part of one broadcaster’s presenting team, is an outspoken admirer of Trafford, and the sight of a multiple Golden Glove winner passing the torch to the 23-year-old was a heartwarming highlight for the Etihad faithful.

An x-rated message on Haaland’s match ball

As is tradition, Erling Haaland’s teammates signed his 28th career hat-trick ball, but it was Marcus Bettinelli’s contribution that stole the headlines across social media.

The third choice goalkeeper’s message read, “Well done you big f*****g WEIRDO!”