Manchester City 6-0 Burnley: Haaland fires another hat-trick in dominant FA Cup win

Erling Haaland scored his sixth hat-trick of the season as Manchester City swept Championship leaders Burnley aside in a 6-0 victory in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

Just days after hitting five against RB Leipzig in the Champions League, the Norwegian added another match ball to his collection after a dominating performance.

Julian Alvarez netted a second-half brace either side of a Cole Palmer strike, ensuring a miserable return to Etihad Stadium for Clarets boss and former City captain Vincent Kompany.

It leaves City’s quest for a treble well and truly on, with an FA Cup semi-final now added to the schedule for Pep Guardiola’s side.

6 – Erling Haaland has scored six hat-tricks this season at the Etihad Stadium, which is more games than he has failed to score in at the venue this term (5). Mind-boggling. pic.twitter.com/sPIdDcgby7

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 18, 2023

City dominated possession from the off but early opportunities were limited, though Haaland characteristically popped up to beat Bailey Peacock-Farrell to Alvarez’s through ball, tapping beneath the Burnley goalkeeper to open the scoring after 32 minutes.

The former Borussia Dortmund striker repeated the trick to double City’s lead, finding space at the far post to tuck home after Phil Foden’s driven ball across the face of goal, with just 179 seconds separating the two strikes.

Haaland secured his hat-trick before the hour mark with his easiest goal of the game, smashing into an empty net after Foden’s low drive bounced into his path off the right-hand post.

Three minutes later, City grabbed a fourth as Alvarez got in on the act, tapping home from close range after Kevin De Bruyne put the ball on a plate for the Argentine striker, with substitute Palmer adding another after Peacock-Farrell could only palm Foden’s cross into his path.

City were not done, Alvarez latching onto De Bruyne’s inviting through ball and turning Ameen Al Dakhil in the box before firing in his second and wrapping up another big win.

What does it mean? City book another Wembley date

A semi-final date at Wembley is par for the course for City, having now reached the last-four in this competition in six of their seven seasons under Guardiola’s stewardship – falling short only in the 2017-18 campaign.

City’s progression sees them become only the third side to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup for five consecutive seasons since the creation of the Football League, after Manchester United (1961-62 to 1965-66) and Arsenal (2000-01 to 2004-05).

There is work to be done, however, winning the trophy just once in seven seasons.

Haaland’s haunts

Another hat-trick for Haaland takes the Norwegian’s tally in all competitions in his maiden campaign with City to 43, making him the sixth Premier League player to score 40+ goals in a single season and the first since Harry Kane (41) and Mohamed Salah (44), who both hit that mark in 2017-18.

Haaland also became the first player since John Wark for Liverpool in 1984-85 to score a hat-trick in the top-flight, FA Cup and European Cup/Champions League in the same season.

Pep’s centurions

A haul of six against Burnley took City’s goal tally in the FA Cup since Guardiola’s first season in charge (2016-17) to 100.

That is 27 more than any other side during the same period, ahead of Tottenham (73).

Key Opta facts

– City have won 21 consecutive games in domestic cup competitions against teams from a lower division, since losing against Wigan in the FA Cup in February 2018.
– Burnley have lost 11 consecutive games in all competitions against City, their joint-worst run against a single club, equalling runs against Arsenal (2010-2019) and Wolves (1987-2002).
– This was Burnley’s heaviest defeat in all competitions against any side since losing 6-0 at home to City in the third tier in March 1999.
– Haaland has scored six hat-tricks this season at Etihad Stadium, more games than he has failed to score in at the venue this term (five), while he has also scored more hat-tricks in all competitions this season (six) than every other Premier League player combined (five).

What’s next?

City host Liverpool in the Premier League on April 1 after the international break, while Burnley’s march to promotion from the Championship continues a day prior at home to Sunderland.