Haaland hails ‘outstanding’ Antoine Semenyo after Liverpool rout

Erling Haaland hailed his new teammate Antoine Semenyo as “outstanding” after the pair inspired Manchester City to a 4-0 demolition of Liverpool in their FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday.

The Norwegian striker netted a clinical hat-trick—his 12th since joining the club in 2022—but was quick to deflect praise toward Semenyo, who provided a pinpoint assist for Haaland’s second goal before scoring a delightful dink of his own to start the second half.

The victory secures Manchester City’s place in a record eighth successive FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.

“I will tell him to keep doing that a lot now because it worked out well,” Haaland said of the service he received from the Ghanaian international.

“We work in training. Antoine is new, so it takes a bit of time with new players and all of this. Antoine is outstanding.”

The synergy between the two forwards was the highlight of a dominant afternoon for City. In the closing moments of the first half, a brilliant piece of footwork from Rayan Cherki allowed Semenyo to clip a cross into the box, which Haaland powerfully headed home.

Just five minutes after the restart, the roles reversed in spirit as Semenyo broke the Liverpool line to latch onto a through ball and calmly chip the ball over the onrushing James Trafford.

Semenyo, who joined City in a £64 million move from Bournemouth in January 2026, has made an immediate impact at the Etihad.

He has already racked up eight goals and three assists in a Sky Blue shirt, quickly quieting any doubts about his integration into Pep Guardiola’s tactical system.

Semenyo has 17 goals across all competitions this season.

The result marks another low point for Liverpool and manager Arne Slot, whose frustrating afternoon was compounded when Mohamed Salah saw a second-half penalty saved by City’s James Trafford.

City will now look toward their upcoming FA Cup semi-final later this April, as they aim to return to the winner’s circle at Wembley.