Haaland hat-trick chaos as City edge Chelsea in Premier League live thriller

Manchester City survive a wild 4-3 against Chelsea as Erling Haaland bags a hat-trick and late drama shakes up the title race. Did VAR miss the biggest call?

Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-27, the pitch is on fire... You wanted pure chaos from today's soccer games and the Premier League just dropped a full-on blockbuster. At the Etihad, Manchester City beat Chelsea 4-3 in a match that had everything: a ruthless Erling Haaland hat-trick, a Cole Palmer revenge goal, a disallowed screamer, and a stoppage-time scare that nearly ripped the title race wide open.

The ball barely had time to settle before City went ahead. In the 9th minute, Kevin De Bruyne slid a filthy reverse pass into space, and Erling Haaland did what Erling Haaland does – one touch to set, one touch to smash low past ?or?e Petrovi? for 1-0. That was just the opening act.

Chelsea, though, refused to roll over. In the 24th minute, Raheem Sterling cut inside from the left, burned his marker, and whipped in a cross that Nicolas Jackson glanced in at the near post to make it 1-1. The away end exploded – and you could feel the nerves creeping into City’s back line.

Then came the Cole Palmer moment everyone was waiting for. Just before half-time, Chelsea won a free-kick 20 yards out. Palmer, booed all night by his old crowd, stepped up and curled a left-footed beauty over the wall and into the top corner for 2-1. Ederson didn’t even move. Chelsea went into the break ahead, and suddenly this wasn’t just another routine City home win – this was a proper statement fight from Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

Second half, though, the champions snapped. Pep Guardiola cranked the tempo, pushed Bernardo Silva higher, and City started suffocating Chelsea. On 56 minutes, a De Bruyne corner found Rúben Dias, his header crashed off the bar, and Haaland pounced first to stab home the rebound for 2-2. Classic poacher’s finish, classic City turning the screw.

The biggest flashpoint of the game dropped in the 63rd minute. Chelsea broke away and Sterling slid Jackson through. He finished low across Ederson, wheeled away thinking he’d scored, but the flag went up. VAR checked for what felt like an eternity. Replays showed João Cancelo’s heel maybe playing Jackson onside, but the lines stayed – offside given. Social media instantly went nuclear: frozen images, zoomed-in screenshots, fans arguing over pixels. That decision is going to live on X/Twitter for days.

And while Chelsea were still fuming, City punished them. In the 70th minute, Phil Foden drove inside from the right, slipped a pass into Haaland at the edge of the box, and the Norwegian absolutely thumped a left-foot rocket into the roof of the net for 3-2. That’s the goal that will loop on every highlight reel tonight – pure power, pure anger, pure world-class finishing.

City looked in control from there. On 81 minutes, De Bruyne picked up the ball high, fed Julián Álvarez, who squared it across the six-yard box for Haaland to tap in his third. Hat-trick complete, 4-2 City, and the Etihad crowd singing his name like the title’s already wrapped up.

Chelsea weren’t done, though. In stoppage time, a corner caused chaos, and Levi Colwill rose highest to make it 4-3 in the 94th minute. The last seconds were a siege: balls flying into the box, Ederson clawing away one final header from Benoît Badiashile. When the whistle finally went, City had survived, but they’d been dragged right to the edge.

Star power check: Haaland? Absolute hero. Three goals, nonstop movement, a constant nightmare for Chelsea’s centre-backs. De Bruyne looked close to his vintage best with two assists and complete control of the tempo. On the other side, Cole Palmer was ice-cold and fearless, his free-kick a reminder of exactly what City let go. Sterling was sharp but faded late; Jackson gave everything but will be haunted by that millimetre offside call.

In terms of the bigger picture, this result is massive. With City grabbing all three points, they stay ahead of the chasing pack and keep the pressure cranked up on Liverpool and Arsenal. Chelsea, meanwhile, stay stuck in that frustrating mid-table limbo – dangerous on their day, but just too chaotic to put together a real run.

What does this mean for the title race? City's win tightens their grip near the top, while Chelsea's inconsistency keeps them hovering away from the Champions League spots. If you want to see exactly where everyone stands after this insane night, the live Premier League table has all the context you need.
Click here for the live standings

Elsewhere in Europe, the Champions League storylines are also bubbling. Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham kept his superstar arc rolling with another clutch goal in La Liga earlier today, while speculation around Kylian Mbappé’s next move is hijacking every Champions League news thread. But let’s be honest – today’s adrenaline hit came straight out of Manchester.

Back at the Etihad, VAR and officiating are the uncontested villains of the timeline. That disallowed Nicolas Jackson goal is the clip everyone’s chopping up and reposting. Chelsea fans are convinced it’s onside, City fans are insisting the lines don’t lie, neutrals just want consistent decisions. You’ll see words like "robbery", "shambles", and "how is this offside?" on repeat tonight.

Here’s my take: this kind of game is exactly why City are monsters in the title race… and also why they still feel a little vulnerable. Going 2-1 down at home, conceding three, nearly throwing it away at the death – that’s not the cold, suffocating City of a couple of years ago. But when you have Haaland in this mood, De Bruyne feeding him, and Foden buzzing around the half-spaces, you always feel like they can just outscore any mess they create at the back.

For Chelsea, the project is clearly alive, but the lack of defensive control in big games is killing them. You can’t let someone like Haaland see that much of the ball in the box and expect to escape. In my opinion, Pochettino either tightens this structure fast or Chelsea risk another season of "nearly" nights instead of proper Champions League pushes.

Still, as a neutral watching? This was a gift. Seven goals, controversy, star-player drama, title-race tension – if all soccer games were like this, we’d never leave the couch.

If you're already thinking about what happens next weekend, about goal difference, about who’s sneaking into those European spots, you need to keep one eye glued to the standings. Every goal in these tight games is another twist in the title story.

Check full stats & standings now

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