Haaland brace, Salah masterclass – Premier League chaos live tonight

Football results today explode as Haaland and Salah trade blows in a wild Premier League race – but one shock result could flip the title script completely.

Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-24, the pitch is on fire... If you were hunting for football results today across the big guns, you picked the right night. The Premier League lit up with Erling Haaland bullying defences again, Mohamed Salah turning on that trademark left-foot magic, and a title race that suddenly feels like it's sprinting instead of jogging.

Premier League live drama: Haaland & Salah steal the show

At the Etihad, Manchester City delivered exactly what you expect from the champions when the pressure is cranked up. They ripped into their visitors with a 3-1 win, and of course, the headline man was Erling Haaland.

The Norwegian cyborg bagged a ruthless brace. His first came after a slick one-touch move: Kevin De Bruyne slid a delicious reverse pass into the channel, Haaland rolled his marker and buried a low left-footed finish into the far corner. His second? Classic Haaland. A whipped corner from Phil Foden, chaos in the box, and he rose highest to thump a header into the top corner. Two chances, two goals – the expected goals model probably just rage-quit.

De Bruyne wasn't just feeding Haaland; he got on the scoresheet himself with a trademark strike. Collecting the ball just outside the area, he shifted it onto his right and smashed it past the keeper from 20 yards. The reply from the visitors came via a neat finish from their striker after a quick break, but by then the damage was done. Haaland, De Bruyne, Foden – the star trio all turned up, and you could feel the title race tilt slightly sky blue again.

Over at Anfield, Liverpool answered emphatically. In front of a roaring Kop, they took a tense game and ripped it open thanks to Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian king was involved in everything good in a 2-0 win. He opened the scoring from the spot, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way after a clumsy challenge on Darwin Núñez in the box. Then he turned creator, cutting inside from the right and slipping a perfectly weighted through ball for Núñez to slot home the second.

Salah's numbers keep climbing, but tonight it was the swagger that stood out. He dropped deep, linked with Dominik Szoboszlai, drove at defenders – every time he got the ball, the stadium buzzed. Defensively, Virgil van Dijk and his back line stayed ice-cold, killing any hope of a comeback. While Haaland was the cold-blooded finisher in Manchester, Salah was the all-action superstar on Merseyside.

Top scorers today: who owned the spotlight?

• Erling Haaland (Manchester City) – 2 goals, both from classic Haaland patterns: one on the run, one dominant header.
• Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – 1 goal (penalty), 1 assist, easily the most dangerous man on the pitch at Anfield.
• Darwin Núñez (Liverpool) – 1 goal, constantly stretching the back line with diagonal runs.
• Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) – 1 goal, 1 assist, pulling every string in midfield.

Bellingham and Mbappé weren't in the Premier League spotlight tonight, but their shadow still hangs over the Champions League talk: every touch from Haaland and Salah felt like a statement ahead of the next European round. It's like the world's elite forwards are taking turns reminding us who really owns this era.

Key scenes: VAR nerves, last-ditch tackles, title-race tension

The biggest heart-in-mouth moment came at Anfield. At 1-0, the away side thought they had levelled when their winger smashed home a cut-back from inside the box. Wild celebrations, their away end bouncing – and then the dreaded rectangle gesture. VAR took a long look and ruled the goal out for the narrowest of offsides in the build-up. Millimetres on the freeze-frame, full-on meltdown on social media.

Minutes later, Salah punished them. That disallowed goal is exactly what everyone is raging about online – "game ruined by tech" versus "the lines are the lines". But from a pure football point of view, Liverpool responded like a side that believes this is their year.

In Manchester, the drama came from sheer intensity. City's high press nearly gifted a goal when their keeper got caught on the ball, only for Rúben Dias to make a heroic sliding block on the goal line. That moment felt like a turning point: instead of 2-2, City went up the other end five minutes later and Haaland made it 3-1. Fine margins, title-defining swings.

Football league table shockwaves: who's really in charge?

So what do today's football results actually mean for the bigger picture? City's win keeps them right on top of the Premier League pile, while Liverpool's victory means they refuse to drop out of the slipstream. The pressure on every dropped point is insane now – one bad weekend and you tumble from "champions-elect" to "chasing and praying".

Arsenal and the rest of the chasing pack suddenly look like they're clinging on rather than dictating. The goal difference edge for City, boosted again by Haaland's brace, might end up feeling like an extra point in this race.

What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings

Champions League news: statement wins before Europe

With the Champions League knockout stage just around the corner, both City and Liverpool sent a loud message to the rest of Europe: they're not just winning, they're peaking. Haaland timing his form like this is terrifying for any defence on the continent, while Salah's sharpness screams "big European night incoming".

Managers across Europe will be watching these clips thinking, "How do we stop that?" Press high and Haaland spins behind you. Sit deep and Salah slices you apart. On a night when some rivals stuttered, these two English giants looked absolutely locked in.

My take: title race turning into a two-man cage fight

Here's the honest truth: this doesn't feel like a wide-open race anymore. With these football results today, City and Liverpool look like they've slammed the door on everyone else and thrown away the key.

From where I'm sitting, City are still the cold favourites – you don't bet lightly against a team where Haaland can score twice without breaking a sweat and De Bruyne is painting passes like a prime artist. But Liverpool feel different this season: more chaos, more emotion, more of that "we're not losing this" energy. Salah is absolutely playing like a man who wants one more massive trophy parade.

If there's one big call to make after tonight: any side that doesn't have a proper plan for Haaland in the box or Salah cutting in from the right might as well forget the Champions League and the league title. The standards at the top right now are just brutal.

Closing whistle: don't blink, this race is wild

So yeah, if you were scrolling for quick football results today, you ended up walking into a full-on title thriller. Haaland went full machine mode, Salah sparkled, the VAR drama set social media on fire, and the league table just got even more tense.

Want to see exactly how tight it is and who's breathing down whose neck?

Check full stats & standings now

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