Erling Haaland plundered an eighth Manchester City hat-trick and kicked on to a personal haul of five as Pep Guardiola’s side powered into the FA Cup quarterfinals with a 6-2 win over Luton Town.
The Norway superstar has struggled for his best form since returning from a foot injury at the end of last month. But he was close to unplayable at Kenilworth Road, claiming the matchball before halftime.
Luton hit back through a magnificent Jordan Clark strike and when the same player struck again early in the second period an improbable comeback seemed to be on the cards.
But City found another gear with Haaland’s fourth and a fourth assist for the imperious Kevin De Bruyne. The hulking No.9 matched his personal best in a match, having also scored five against RB Leipzig in the Champions League last season, before Mateo Kovacic brought the house down with arguably the best goal of the night.
MORE: Erling Haaland goals, records for Manchester City: Updated list and latest goals
Luton vs Man City final score
| Fulltime | Goalscorers | |
| Luton | 2 | Clark 45', 52' |
| Man City | 6 | Haaland 3', 18', 40', Haaland 55', 58', Kovacic 72' |
Lineups:
Luton (3-4-3 right to left): 23. Tim Krul (GK) — 16. Reece Burke, 15. Teden Mengi, 29. Amari'i Bell (38. Joseph Johnson) — 7. Chiedozie Ogbene (27. Daiki Hashioka), 6. Ross Barkley, 18. Jordan Clark (17. Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu), 45. Alfie Doughty — 14. Tahith Chong, 9. Carlton Morris, 10. Cauley Woodrow (30. Andros Townsend).
Man City (3-2-4-1, right to left): 18. Stefan Ortega (GK) — 2. Kyle Walker (82. Rico Lewis), 25. Manuel Akanji, 6. Nathan Ake (21. Sergio Gomez) — 5. John Stones, 8. Mateo Kovacic — 20. Bernardo Silva (52. Oscar Bobb), 17. Kevin De Bruyne, 27. Matheus Nunes, 10. Jack Grealish (11. Jeremy Doku) — 9. Erling Haaland (19. Julian Alvarez).
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KEVIN DE BRUYNE TO ERLING HAALAND FOR THE FOURTH TIME IN ONE MATCH.
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 27, 2024
ARE YOU SERIOUS 😮 pic.twitter.com/y3XE8dUWWQ
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That's 3⃣! 🤩
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) February 27, 2024
Erling Haaland gets his first half hat-trick as Man City cruise into a 3-0 lead! 🔥#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/IVPXuzKo7c
Despite resting Rodri and Phil Foden among the substitutes, Pep Guardiola named a strong City side and they got smoothly into their work, with Manuel Akanji and Matheus Nunes carrying the ball impressively before the latter played in De Bruyne to set up Haaland for a simple finish.
It was the start of a striking masterclass and he outmuscled Teden Mengi to collect De Bruyne’s 19th-minute pass and make it 2-0.
Luton goalkeeper Tim Krul denied Haaland after John Stones surged forward from defence and the experienced Netherlands international produced a smart double-stop to thwart Haaland and De Bruyne.
That duo would not be denied for long, however, as the Belgium playmaker completed his own hat-trick of assists with his latest exemplary through ball for his partner in crime to dink home a delightful finish.
Another injury setback for Jack Grealish was the only blemish on City’s first half before Clark dispatched a brilliant strike into the top corner to give Luton hope. Some untidy play from City around their own box allowed Ross Barkley to set up Clark for another emphatic effort within seven minutes of the restart.
The visitors duly went back to the trusty De Bruyne-Haaland axis, with Kyle Walker spearing a ball into the midfield maestro, who left a tap-in on a plate for his gleeful team-mate.
Haaland clattered a shot through some pretty poor efforts from Krul, with Bernardo Silva's pass ending the assist streak for De Bruyne.
At the other end, Carlton Morris and Barkley kept City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega honest before substitute Andros Townsend pulled a volley wide. Back came City as a feast of attacking football continued — Krul saving from Grealish’s replacement Jeremy Doku before Kovacic scored with a sumptuous long-ranger.
MORE: Where to watch Man City vs Luton FA Cup match
Erling Haaland most goals in a match
Haaland’s nine goals for Norway against Honduras in the 2019 U-20 World Cup remains his personal benchmark, but the five at Kenilworth Road matches his previous best effort in senior football. Along with being his eighth City hat-trick - and first away from the Etihad Stadium - it marked a 19th career matchball.
His exploits against Luton and Leipzig mean Haaland is the first player in City history to score five in two separate matches. The Hatters are the 29th opponent out of 32 that Haaland has found the net against in his City career. It was almost a century since anyone had scored five in an FA Cup tie for the club, with Frank Roberts doing so in 1926.
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ERLING HAALAND HAS A 17' FA CUP BRACE FOR MAN CITY!!!
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 27, 2024
Kevin De Bruyne assisted both of the goals 🤝
This duo 🔥 pic.twitter.com/7s77ABEfei
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Erling Haaland makes it two! 🤩
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) February 27, 2024
He's not here to mess about! 🤖#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/GN6QN5vXmB
Will Man City win the double treble?
This is a suggestion Guardiola has bridled at frequently since the turn of the year. The amount of things that have to fall into place are what makes trebles incredibly rare. Not to mention that fact that, in recent weeks, City have not played particularly well. The wins over Everton, Brentford and Bournemouth in the Premier League where are, to some extent, laboured. The same could be said for the 1-1 draw against Chelsea, with Guardiola’s side making heavy weather of a fairly kind run of fixtures.
Premier League title rivals Arsenal and Liverpool have put in some contrastingly sparkling displays. City play both in March, which kicks off with a Manchester derby date against United at the Etihad Stadium. In that respect, the goal-fest against Luton was handily timed. The architects of it also felt significant.
Although they boast an enviably gifted squad, the story of City’s season has been surviving for large chunks without Haaland, De Bruyne or both of them. De Bruyne missed five months after undergoing hamstring surgery in August, while a bone stress problem in Haaland’s foot wiped out most of December and January.
Each man has had to gradually get up to speed. This was probably the first time we’ve seen both in full flight in tandem since the treble-winning campaign. For opponents at home and abroad, it remains a truly terrifying sight.
Luton vs Man City FA Cup lineups, team news
Manchester City are almost back to full strength with Josko Gvardiol the only confirmed injury absentee.
Phil Foden's goal was enough to secure a 1-0 Premier League win over Bournemouth last weekend. The England star was rested among the substitutes in midweek, although Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish were heavyweight returns to City's creative department.
Man City XI (3-2-4-1, right to left): Ortega (GK) — Walker, Akanji, Ake — Stones, Kovacic — Silva, De Bruyne, Nunes, Grealish — Haaland.
Man City subs (9): Ederson (GK), Dias, Doku, Rodri, Alvarez, Gomez, Foden, Bobb, Lewis.
Left wing-back Alfie Doughty returns for the hosts, with manager Rob Edwards naming a strong side on the back of three consecutive Premier League defeats.
Tim Krul, Andros Townsend and Reece Burke could come in as part of a refreshed team.
Luton XI (3-4-3 right to left): Krul (GK) — Burke, Mengi, Bell — Ogbene, Barkley, Clark, Doughty — Chong, Morris, Woodrow.
Luton subs (9): Shea (GK), Osho, Berry, Mpanzu, Hashioka, Townsend, Johnson, Nelson, Piesold.
MORE: English Premier League table 2023/24: Updated EPL standings as Liverpool lead Arsenal
Luton vs Man City FA Cup live stream, TV channel
Here's how to watch this FA Cup match across selected areas of the world's major regions:
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| USA | — | ESPN+ |
| Canada | — |
Sportsnet NOW Plus |
| UK | ITV 1, STV, UTV | ITVX, STV Player |
| Australia | — | Paramount+ |
| India | Sony Ten 2 | Sony LIV, JioTV |
USA: This game is available exclusively on ESPN+.
Canada: Broadcast and streaming options are available via Sportsnet.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream FA Cup matches live and on demand on Paramount+.
UK: This match is available on ITV 1 and streaming is covered by ITVX. Viewers in Scotland can access the game with STV and the STV Player with UTV showing it in Northern Ireland.
INDIA: Sony Ten have the rights to telecast this FA Cup match in India, while the action can be streamed on Sony LIV and JioTV.
