Pep Lijnders heaps praise on Man City duo after Liverpool win and reveals Guardiola reaction
Man City become the first club in FA Cup history to reach eight consecutive semi-finals.Haaland silenced critics with his 28th career hat-trick, moving City closer to a domestic double.Pep Lijnders pr...
Pep Lijnders heaps praise on Man City duo after Liverpool win and reveals Guardiola reaction Man City become the first club in FA Cup history to reach eight consecutive semi-finals. Haaland silenced critics with his 28th career hat-trick, moving City closer to a domestic double. Pep Lijnders praised the mentality of Haaland and the calm speed of Abdukodir Khusanov.
Manchester City’s stand-in head coach during the 4-0 FA Cup quarter-final win over Liverpool has heaped praise on two key members of the squad from the win. Erling Haaland rediscovered his clinical edge with a spectacular hat-trick as City dismantled an insipid Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium, securing a record-extending eighth consecutive FA Cup semi-final berth. Despite Pep Guardiola serving the second game of a touchline ban, the newly-crowned Carabao Cup winners dominated proceedings, with Haaland converting a 38th-minute penalty won by Nico O’Reilly before doubling the lead with a header from Antoine Semenyo’s cross just before the interval.
Match Report & Player Ratings: Manchester City 4-0 Liverpool (FA Cup Quarter Final) While Liverpool had early chances through Florian Wirtz and a wasteful Mo Salah – who later saw a second-half penalty saved by James Trafford – City remained ruthless, as Semenyo clipped in a delightful third and Haaland completed his 28th career hat-trick to seal progression and keep the club’s domestic cup double ambitions firmly on track. The “Fast and Calm” anchor of City’s defence Speaking to reporters during the post-match press conference, assistant manager Pep Lijnders was quizzed for his thoughts on yet another impressive performance from central defender Abdukodir Khusanov. “Every time I see Khusa [Abdukodir Khusanov] on the training pitch, in the hall, I say [to him], ‘FAST!
FAST! ’ He’s so fast! But he is calm as well, he defends so smart, and it helps if you have a lot of speed in the back,” said the Dutchman.