Edited by Paul Elegbeleye
The FA Cup quarter-finals delivered everything English football promises across Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 April 2026.
We had a Haaland hat-trick, a seven-goal demolition, a Championship club knocking out the Premier League leaders, and a penalty shootout settled by a teenage debutant goalkeeper.
Eighteen goals, four wildly different stories, and a very dramatic FA Cup weekend in years sent four clubs to Wembley!
Six Premier League sides entered the round alongside Championship outfit Southampton and League One’s Port Vale, who had already eliminated Sunderland in the fifth round.
There was enough competition on the field to generate genuine intrigue across all four ties, but the results themselves pulled in completely different directions. City were ruthless. Chelsea were clinical. Southampton were inspired. Leeds simply refused to lose.
What the weekend confirmed, above all else, is that the FA Cup still has its own logic. League position means something, but it does not mean everything.
Southampton arrived as underdogs, Arsenal as heavy favourites, and the scoreboard told the story the table could not.
Table of Contents
FA Cup Quarter-Final Results 2026:
- Manchester City 4-0 Liverpool (Etihad Stadium, 4 April)
- Chelsea 7-0 Port Vale (Stamford Bridge, 4 April)
- Southampton 2-1 Arsenal (St Mary’s Stadium, 4 April)
- West Ham 2-2 Leeds United (London Stadium, 5 April) | Leeds win 4-2 on penalties
Semi-final draw
- Manchester City vs Southampton
- Chelsea vs Leeds United
Manchester City 4-0 Liverpool: Haaland Hat-Trick Settles the Rivalry
Nobody expected Liverpool to win here, but few anticipated a scoreline this emphatic. Manchester City dismantled the reigning Premier League champions 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium to reach their eighth consecutive FA Cup semi-final, and the margin of victory felt entirely fair.
With Pep Guardiola serving the final match of a two-game touchline ban, assistant Pepijn Lijnders managed from the dugout against his former club. Tactical approach was straightforward: press early, protect the central lanes, and give Haaland clean service. It worked from the first whistle.
Haaland’s Three Goals and What They Tell Us
Haaland opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 39th minute after Virgil van Dijk fouled Nico O’Reilly. He added a powerful header in first-half stoppage time, then completed his treble on 57 minutes with a finish off the underside of the bar. Antoine Semenyo, who has been one of the high-profile signings in January, chipped a third just after the interval from a Rayan Cherki pass to make it 3-0 before Haaland’s hat-trick arrived.
City completed 89% of their passes across the ninety minutes. Liverpool held 51% of the ball but rarely threatened. Mohamed Salah, playing his first match since his Anfield exit was confirmed, worked hard without reward. James Trafford, impressive in the Carabao Cup final, was rarely troubled. Therefore, a clear story was told from the results: this City side, under Lijnders or Guardiola, is built to win exactly this kind of game.
Liverpool ‘gave up’ during 4-0 defeat by Man City
Chelsea 7-0 Port Vale
Chelsea needed this. Four consecutive Premier League defeats before the international break had raised genuine questions about Liam Rosenior’s side, and Port Vale were never going to offer much resistance. But the manner of the win, seven goals without reply at Stamford Bridge, said something about Chelsea’s attacking depth when they actually commit to using it.
Jorrel Hato struck after just 64 seconds, tucking home a half-volley after goalkeeper Joe Gauci fumbled an Estêvão corner. João Pedro doubled the lead on 25 minutes with a sharp turn and finish, his 19th goal of the season in all competitions, before a Cole Palmer-driven shot deflected off Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel for an own goal just before the interval. Meanwhile, the second half produced four more: Tosin Adarabioyo headed in Malo Gusto’s cross, Andrey Santos converted from an Estêvão corner, the teenage Brazilian winger scored himself after a lengthy VAR check, then Alejandro Garnacho converted a stoppage-time penalty.
The Estêvão Factor
Eighteen years old and already pulling the strings in an FA Cup quarter-final. Estêvão contributed a goal and an assist and caused Port Vale problems every time he received the ball. Chelsea finished with 76% possession and did not concede a single shot on target. Port Vale, who reached this stage for the first time since 1954, gave everything they had. However, it simply was not close to enough.
Southampton 2-1 Arsenal: Biggest Upset of the Round
Arsenal were without Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Leandro Trossard, and Eberechi Eze. Viktor Gyokeres, William Saliba, and Martin Zubimendi started on the bench. It was an undermanned travelling party, and Southampton made them pay for every gap.
Ross Stewart gave the Championship side the lead on 35 minutes, converting after Ben White completely misjudged a James Bree cross. Gyokeres came off the bench and levelled on 68 minutes, and for a spell it looked as though Arsenal’s squad quality would be enough to see them through. Then Shea Charles picked out the bottom corner five minutes from time and St Mary’s erupted.
Southampton’s xG was 1.21 to Arsenal’s 1.61, meaning the result reflected the run of play. The Saints pressed relentlessly, defended with organisation, and took their chances when they arrived. Arsenal’s treble hopes are finished. Southampton, seventh in the Championship and wearing a commemorative yellow kit to mark the 50th anniversary of their 1976 FA Cup win, head to Wembley.
West Ham 2-2 Leeds United (Leeds win 4-2 on pens)
Sunday’s match at the London Stadium was the kind of game that reminds you why knockout football exists. Leeds, a Championship side embroiled in their own promotion push, went 2-0 up through Ao Tanaka’s composed 26th-minute finish and a Dominic Calvert-Lewin penalty on 75 minutes. It seemed the tie was done.
However, West Ham scored twice in stoppage time. Mateus Fernandes pulled one back in the 93rd minute, then Axel Disasi levelled in the 96th to force extra time. Two West Ham goals were ruled out during the additional period. Alphonse Areola then cramped off late in extra time, handing a debut to 20-year-old Finlay Herrick. Joel Piroe’s opening penalty was saved by the youngster to send the London Stadium wild.
But Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri saved from Jarrod Bowen and Pablo in the shootout, and Pascal Struijk’s composed final kick sent the Yorkshire side through 4-2 on penalties.
What It Means for Leeds
Leeds reach the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1987, a 39-year wait. According to manager Daniel Farke after the final whistle, it was “a chapter of Leeds United history”. They face Chelsea at Wembley on 26 April.
Conclusion: Four Teams, One Trophy to Win
FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley on 25 and 26 April now promise two fascinating ties. Manchester City, dominant and clinical this season, face a Southampton side that believes it can shock anyone. Chelsea, whose cup form has been sharp even when their league results have stuttered, take on a Leeds side that has shown the character to fight through the hardest moments this competition can offer.
Meanwhile, the FA Cup final takes place on 16 May 2026 at Wembley Stadium. How will it go down? Whoever lifts that trophy will have earned it!
Also Read: FA Cup Fifth Round Review: How Port Vale and Southampton Stunned the Premier League
