It was a game when it felt appropriate to have all-time records in mind from an early juncture, an awareness of history. Because Erling Haaland was in that kind of mood. Luton, meanwhile, appeared intent on seeing whether their defenders could hold him off in one-on-one last-man battles. That and their high line was a recipe for carnage.
A couple of minutes before the hour, Haaland scored his fifth to ease City clear of a Luton mini-revival that felt like a mirage. The double hat-trick was on, which is a thing in park football at under-10 level but really should not be in the FA Cup fifth round.
