  The Fermi liquid approach is applied to the problem of spontaneous violation
of the four-fold rotational point-group symmetry ($C_4$) in strongly correlated
two-dimensional electronic systems on a square lattice. The symmetry breaking
is traced to the existence of a topological phase transition. This continuous
transition is triggered when the Fermi line, driven by the quasiparticle
interactions, reaches the van Hove saddle points, where the group velocity
vanishes and the density of states becomes singular. An unconventional Fermi
liquid emerges beyond the implicated quantum critical point.
