Erling Haaland’s hat-trick helped Manchester City thrash Burnley 6-0 at Etihad Stadium in the opening Quarter-Final of 2022-23 FA Cup.
Haaland pounced up Julian Alvarez’s 32nd minute through ball to put City ahead after an edgy opening half-hour, before he added his second goal just three minutes later from Phil Foden’s cross.
Haaland completed his hat-trick with a close-range tap-in goal in the 59th minute before Julian Alvarez scored either side of Cole Palmer’s rebound effort to wrap up a six-goal win, as City comfortably cruised into the semi-finals for a fifth consecutive season.
Amidst a thunderous atmopshere marking Vincent Kompany’s return to the Etihad Stadium – albeit in the away dugout, City quickly pressed Kompany’s Clarets high but Rodri rifled their first proper shot wide from Phil Foden’s seventh minute pullback pass.
Burnley however resiliently weathered City immense early pressure as they slowly grew into the match, which almost paid off as Anass Zaroury teed up Nathan Tella in the 18th minute but the Southampton loanee saw his powerful shot blocked by Stefan Ortega.
Ruben Dias then was forced to make a crucial block of a through ball towards Tella inside the box in the 23rd minute, luckily avoiding conceding a penalty as he made the tackle and the consequential corner was cleared.
City soon afterwards found themselves back on top and Haaland almost put the hosts in front on the half-hour mark, yet could only head Foden’s cross away from goal.
Haaland two minutes later pounced upon a defensive switch off within Burnley’s defence as he knocked down Ortega’s goal-kick, which found Julian Alvarez to play through for the Norwegian to poke in beyond Bailey Peacock-Farrell.
Before Burnley could mount a response, Foden in the 35th minute was played through up the left to bend a low cross across towards Haaland who calmly rifled in unmarked to double City’s lead and snatch his second goal of the game.
City proceeded to protect their lead into the half-time break amidst Zaroury’s curled 40th minute effort which evaded the top-right corner, as Burnley looked to fight their way back into the game before the break.
At half-time, Kompany dropped Gudmundsson and Foster for the experience of Jack Cork and Ashley Barnes, yet City remained on top early in the second half but Bailey Peacock-Farrell crucially blocked shots from Riyad Mahrez and Haaland.
Peacock-Farrell’s resistence however was broken in the 59th minute as Mahrez teed up Foden on his left to shoot, yet his shot rebounded off the right post for Haaland to calmly smash in unmarked to claim his fourth hat-trick of this season.
City like in the first-half added another goal three miinutes later as Mahrez cut in from the right to tee up an over-lapping Kevin de Bruyne who found Alvarez to sweep in from close-range.
Substitute, Palmer pounced upon Peacock-Farrell’s 68th minute flapped block of Phil Foden’s high shot towards roof of goal and the 20 year-old rolled into the empty net to seal victory.
Alvarez and De Bruyne once again combined in the 73rd minute as the Argentinean knocked a long pass down to the Belgian, from which De Bruyne unleashed Alvarez to chase a through ball and smash in beyond Peacock-Farrell’s reach.
City eventually controlled the game to its conclusion to secure a semi-final spot with the draw set to take place after Brighton’s Quarter-Final tie against Grimsby, live on BBC1 tomorrow (19 March).
What’s Next?
Man City return to league action on Saturday 1 April in a 12:30pm BST kick-off at home to Liverpool.
Burnley meanwhile resume their push for automatic promotion in the Championship the night before, as they host Sunderland on Friday 31 March at 8pm BST.
Team News
Man City: Stefan Ortega, Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias (Akanji 63′), Aymeric Laporte, Rico Lewis (Gomez 66′), Rodri (Phillips 66′), Kevin De Bruyne (Grealish 89′), Riyad Mahrez, Julian Alvarez, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland (Palmer 63′)
Substitutes: Ederson, Kalvin Phillips, John Stones, Nathan Ake, Ilkay Gundogan Jack Grealish, Sergio Gomez, Manuel Akanji, Cole Palmer
Burnley: Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Connor Roberts, Ameen Al-Dakhil, Jordan Beyer, Ian Maatsen (Taylor 77′), Josh Cullen, Johann Berg Gudmundsson (Cork 45′), Nathan Tella (Obafemi 64′), Anass Zaroury, Vitinho (Bastien 77′), Lyle Foster (Barnes 45′)
Substitutes: Arijnet Muric, Charlie Taylor, Jack Cork, Ashley Barnes, Scott Twine, Samuel Bastien, Michael Obafemi, Halil Dervisoglu, Manuel Benson
Referee: John Brooks
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