Erling Haaland grabbed Manchester City’s eighth hat-trick to make it five in a personal time as Pep Guardiola’s side progressed to the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 6-2 win over Luton Town.
The Norwegian superstar has been battling for his best form since returning from a leg injury at the end of last month. But he was close to unplayable at Kenilworth Road and won a match point before half-time.
Luton hit back with a superb strike from Jordan Clarke and when the same player struck again early in the second period, an unlikely comeback seemed on the cards.
But City found another gear, Haaland’s fourth and a fourth assist for the imperious Kevin De Bruyne. The hulking No.9 hit his personal best in the game when he scored five times against RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League last season, before Mateo Kovacic slammed home what was arguably the best goal of the night.
Man City player ratings
GK: Stefan Ortega – 6/10 – Produced some strong stops to deny Luton’s attackers, but his error led to Clark’s second of the evening.
RB: Kyle Walker – 6/10 – Caught a few times defensively, but wasn’t tested all too often.
CB: John Stones – 8/10 – After a top display against Bournemouth, he was in his element again here. Stepped into midfield, broke through the Luton press and was typically fantastic in possession.
CB: Manuel Akanji – 8/10 – Helped force the opener with his driving run and brilliant pass. Such a classy presence at the back.
LB: Nathan Ake – 7/10 – Played Clark onside for Luton’s second but was an otherwise solid outing.
DM: Mateo Kovacic – 8/10 – Even tucked in his shirt in an attempt to resemble Rodri, but the Croatian had very few opportunities to imitate the Spaniard defensively. Scored a beauty to cap a great team display.
RM: Matheus Nunes – 7/10 – Interchanged with Bernardo Silva in central areas and made some good forward runs to support the Man City attack.
CM: Bernardo Silva – 7/10 – Weaved in and out of different roles in the City team with little fuss. Facilitated his side’s devastating attacking display.
CM: Kevin De Bruyne – 10/10 – Looked in the mood from the first kick and his movement, passing and positional intelligence caused Luton nightmares. Simply unstoppable.
LM: Jack Grealish – 6/10 – Visibly distraught as he limped off the pitch with yet another injury concern just before the break. Hadn’t been too involved before his withdrawal.
ST: Erling Haaland – 10/10 – An absolutely frightening performance from the striker, who bullied Luton’s centre-backs from start to finish. Five goals, just ridiculous.
SUB: Jeremy Doku (39′ for Grealish) – 7/10 – A livewire after coming on, just lacking a little end product.
SUB: Rico Lewis (77′ for Stones) – 6/10
SUB: Julian Alvarez (77′ for Haaland) – 6/10
SUB: Oscar Bobb (77′ for Silva) – 6/10
SUB: Sergio Gomez (77′ for Ake) – 6/10
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