Manchester City's quest to retain the FA Cup continued in emphatic fashion on Tuesday, as they cruised to a 6-2 victory over Luton Town in the fifth round. The win at Kenilworth Road was a statement of intent, sending City into the quarterfinals with total confidence. Erling Haaland was practically unstoppable, completing a hat-trick before the interval and adding two more in the second half to kill off the game. Mateo Kovacic rounded off the scoring for the visitors, extending City's unbeaten run to 18 matches across all competitions, while Jordan Clark provided the only highlights for Luton with a brace.
Erling Haaland returned to his best form with a five-goal barrage as the FA Cup holders Manchester City ran riot in a 6-2 rout of Luton Town in the fifth round on Tuesday. With a dominating win at Kenilworth Road Manchester City advanced to the FA Cup quarterfinals in style. Luton had no answer for the marauding Norwegian, who scored his eighth City hat trick before halftime and then scored twice more after the break to end a dramatic Luton comeback. Mateo Kovacic scored the sixth goal for City, who are unbeaten in 18 games across all competitions. Midfielder Jordan Clark struck twice for Luton.
With this performance, 23-year-old Haaland etched his name into the record books, becoming the first player since George Best's six-goal haul for Manchester United in 1970 to score at least five goals in an FA Cup game. The synergy between Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne was on full display, with the Belgian maestro setting up the Norwegian's first four goals. This achievement makes De Bruyne just the second Premier League player since 2004-05 to provide four assists in one FA Cup fixture, following in the footsteps of Ilkay Gundogan in 2019.
Luton actually managed to create a tense moment when Clark scored a brilliant goal into the top corner right before halftime, followed by another early in the second half to bring the score to 3-2. However, the gap in quality soon became apparent as City shifted gears and dominated the remainder of the match. The only downside for Pep Guardiola's men, who are preparing for a clash with Manchester United on March 3, was the loss of Jack Grealish to an injury during the first half.
Before this game, there were doubts about Haaland's sharpness, as he had managed only five goals in his previous 11 appearances following a foot injury. He silenced those critics emphatically, delivering a masterclass in center-forward play that proved he is back to his best.
Following the victory, Haaland was quick to praise De Bruyne's influence, calling him a 'massive' part of the team and noting the instinctive understanding they share on the pitch. \"I'm finally feeling good and getting back to my top form,\" Haaland shared, expressing his excitement for the challenges ahead. \"We're ready to attack.\" In other FA Cup action, Newcastle United narrowly avoided an upset against second-tier Blackburn, progressing 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Ewood Park, thanks to two crucial saves from goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.
Meanwhile, Newcastle United survived a scare to beat second-tier Blackburn 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Ewood Park. Newcastle keeper Martin Dubravka emerged as the shoot-out hero with two saves.