Manchester City vs Liverpool live stream — how to watch FA Cup semi-final online

Phil Foden of Manchester City and Mo Salah of Liverpool could both feature in the Manchester City vs Liverpool live stream
(Image credit: Matt McNulty - Manchester City Manchester City FC via Getty Images / Shaun Brooks/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

The Manchester City vs Liverpool live stream is another must-watch clash between these two massive clubs, this time in the FA Cup semi-final. It's streaming live FOR FREE on BBC iPlayer — but if you're not in the U.K. right now you can tune in via a VPN.

Manchester City vs Liverpool live stream, date, time, channels

The Manchester City vs Liverpool live stream takes place today (Saturday, April 16).
Time  3.30 p.m. BST / 10.30 a.m. ET / 7.30 a.m. PT
• U.K. — Watch FOR FREE on BBC iPlayer
• U.S. — Watch on ESPN Plus
• Watch anywhere — try ExpressVPN 100% risk free

You could be forgiven for getting a spot of deja vu from this game, because this is the third time Manchester City and Liverpool have met in the past seven weeks. 

In late February, they contested the Carabao Cup final, with Liverpool winning 11-10 on penalties after a tight game. Then, last week, they took each other on in the Premier League, with the score there 2-2 after a far more entertaining and open match.

Both sides played on Wednesday in the Champions League quarter-finals, and both won went through to the last four after a second-leg draw. Man City's game with Atlético Madrid finished 0-0 on the night and 1-0 overall, but it was a bad-tempered affair that included a mass brawl in the tunnel. It also left Kyle Walker injured, although Kevin De Bruyne is fit enough to make the bench today.

Liverpool, in contrasts, were able to rest key players for their 3-3 draw with Benfica that saw them triumph 6-4 on aggregate. Forwards Mo Salah and Sadio Mané each only played around 30 minutes, as did midfielders Thiago and Jordan Henderson. Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson didn't play at all. All but Henderson return to the starting line up today. 

Here's how they line up:

Manchester City: Steffen, Cancelo, Stones, Ake, Zinchenko, Fernandinho, Bernardo, Foden, Grealish, Jesus, Sterling

Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Thiago, Keita, Diaz, Mané, Salah

Who will have the edge in this FA Cup tie? You can find out by watching the Manchester City vs Liverpool live stream — and we'll show you how to do that below. 

Plus, if you're looking for more sport, we can also tell you where to find the Chelsea vs Crystal Palace live stream of the other semi-final, and how to watch the Premier League week 33 fixtures online wherever you are.

How to watch the Manchester City vs Liverpool live stream for free in the UK

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The Manchester City vs Liverpool live stream will be shown live on BBC One, the BBC Sport website and BBC iPlayer, with kick off set for 3.30 p.m. BST.

If, however, you're an a Brit with a valid TV licence who isn't in the U.K. right now, you can still watch your usual services from your home country. All you'll need is one of the best VPNs, like ExpressVPN. Read on and we'll explain…

How to watch the Manchester City vs Liverpool live stream wherever you are

The Manchester City vs Liverpool live stream will be shown on many different channels across the world, but what if you're not in your home country and want to watch it on your usual service?

The answer is to use a VPN, or virtual private network. A VPN will let you tune into your home coverage from wherever you are — meaning that if you're abroad, you can use one of the best VPN services to watch the games live as if you were in your lounge.

Our favorite right now is ExpressVPN, thanks to its combination of superb speed, great customer service and excellent device support. It also offers a no-questions-asked 30-day money-back guarantee, so you could check it out without having to sign up long term.

ExpressVPN

Speed, security and simplicity combine to make <a href="https://go.expressvpn.com/c/4550836/1330033/16063?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fexpressvpn.com%2Fvpn-service%2Fbbc-iplayer-vpn%3Foffer%3D3monthsfree%26a_fid%3D744" data-link-merchant="expressvpn.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">ExpressVPN our favorite VPN service. In our testing, we were impressed by its fast connection times and by its ability to access more than 3,000 services in 160 locations across 94 countries. A 30-day money-back guarantee is another bonus.

Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, ExpressVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.S. and want to view a U.K. service, you'd select U.K. from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to BBC iPlayer or another service and watch the game.

Exclusive Tom's Guide Discount: Save 49% on the 12-month ExpressVPN plan

How to watch the Manchester City vs Liverpool live stream in the US

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You're going to need ESPN Plus to watch the Manchester City vs Liverpool live stream — and indeed, to watch every FA Cup game this season. 

ESPN Plus is ESPN's standalone streaming service and is available via the ESPN website and many of the best streaming devices.

How to watch the Manchester City vs Liverpool live stream in Canada

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Canadian soccer fans can watch the Manchester City vs Liverpool live stream on Sportsnet Now. As well as being available via most cable services, Sportsnet Now can also be streamed online, so there's no excuse not to tune in.

Canadians stuck abroad that still want their low-price alternative can use a VPN such as ExpressVPN to trick their streaming device into thinking it's back in the great white north.

How to watch the Manchester City vs Liverpool live stream in Australia

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Those lucky Aussies can watch the Manchester City vs Liverpool live stream on Paramount Plus — in fact, they can watch every FA Cup tie on the streaming service. 

Paramount Plus cost AU$8.99/month or AU$89.9 a year but if you sign up now you can get a 7-day free trial — meaning you could watch the Manchester City vs Liverpool live stream for free.

Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN such as as ExpressVPN to watch all the action on your account, as if you were back home.

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Marc McLaren

Formerly Editor in Chief (U.K.) on Tom’s Guide, Marc oversaw all gaming, streaming, audio, TV, entertainment, how-to and cameras coverage, and was also responsible for the site’s U.K.-focused output. He is now U.K. Editor in Chief on TechRadar. Marc previously edited the tech website Stuff and has tested and written about phones, tablets, wearables, streaming boxes, smart home devices, Bluetooth speakers, headphones, games, TVs, cameras and much more. He also spent years on a music magazine, where his duties mainly involved spoiling other people’s fun, and on a car magazine. An avid photographer, he likes nothing better than taking pictures of very small things (bugs, his daughters) or very big things (distant galaxies). When he gets time, he also enjoys gaming (console and mobile), cycling and attempting to watch as much sport as any human can. He's also fallen in love with Wordle over the past six months and is the author of our today's Wordle answer column, in which he supplies hints and strategy tips for the mega-popular word game. Given he's completed every single Wordle so far and only lost once, and analyzed every Wordle answer in search of patterns, he's well qualified to help you safeguard your streak.