Haaland hat-trick chaos as Man City blast Arsenal – Premier League live shocker

Man City tear through Arsenal with a Haaland masterclass – but a huge VAR twist and late drama leave the title race wide open. Did Arsenal just crack?

Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-06, the pitch is on fire... You wanted Football results today and wow, the Premier League just served a full-on blockbuster: Manchester City ripped into Arsenal at the Etihad in a wild 4-2 thriller that’s already trending everywhere.

Man City 4–2 Arsenal – Haaland goes full monster mode

This was billed as a title showdown, and it delivered chaos. Manchester City came flying out, pressing high, snapping into tackles, and Erling Haaland was in absolute predator mode. The first goal came on 18 minutes: Kevin De Bruyne slipped a filthy reverse pass into the box, Haaland peeled off Gabriel, took one touch, and smashed low past David Raya. Erling Haaland (18') – 1-0 City.

Arsenal tried to calm it down, but City smelled blood. On 31 minutes, Phil Foden drove in from the left, beat Ben White with a sharp cut inside, and drilled a shot that Raya could only parry into danger. Haaland, of course, was first to react and buried the rebound from close range. Erling Haaland again (31') – 2-0 City and the Etihad absolutely shaking.

Arsenal did hit back before the break. Bukayo Saka finally got some joy on the right, nutmegged Josko Gvardiol, cut the ball back, and Martin Ødegaard arrived late to sweep it into the far corner on 42 minutes – 2-1 and game on.

Second half, though, City pushed the tempo again. De Bruyne was dictating everything, and on 57 minutes came the controversial moment everyone is arguing about. Bernardo Silva went down in the box under a tangle with Declan Rice. Initially waved away, then VAR called the ref to the screen. After a long, tense check, the penalty was given. Arsenal players went absolutely ballistic, Rice could not believe it, but Haaland just grabbed the ball with ice in his veins and smashed the penalty into the top-left corner. Erling Haaland (58') hat-trick – 3-1 City in front of a furious Arsenal bench.

From there, Arsenal had to open up. Mikel Arteta threw on Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard, and it actually worked. On 73 minutes, a floated cross from Oleksandr Zinchenko was headed down by Jesus and volleyed in by Leandro Trossard – 3-2 and suddenly nerves all over the stadium.

But City always have that killer punch. On 87 minutes, De Bruyne delivered a wicked in-swinging corner and Rúben Dias rose highest to thunder a header past Raya for 4-2. That was the knockout blow, the moment you felt the title race tilt sky blue again.

Stars report: Heroes & flops

• Erling Haaland – Outrageous. A ruthless hat-trick, constant movement, bullying the Arsenal backline. This was Ballon d'Or statement energy.
• Kevin De Bruyne – Two assists, one pre-assist, and complete control of tempo. When he's fit, City look a different sport.
• Bukayo Saka – Bright in flashes, key in Arsenal's first goal, but kept getting doubled. Not a flop, just not dominant enough for a "title decider."
• Declan Rice – Massive in duels but will be replayed forever in that penalty incident. VAR said penalty; Arsenal fans say robbery.

Elsewhere in today's football results

Across Europe, the Football results today in the top leagues had a bit of everything:

• Liverpool 2–0 Newcastle – Mohamed Salah (27') and Darwin Núñez (69') on the scoresheet. Salah coolly finished from a Trent Alexander-Arnold cross, then Núñez rifled one into the far corner after a slick counter. Salah looked sharp, dropping deep, linking play – classic talisman mode.
• Real Madrid 3–1 Valencia – Jude Bellingham (15', 61') with a brace and Vinícius Júnior (39') adding one. Bellingham was everywhere, ghosting into pockets, timing his runs perfectly. Kylian Mbappé had a quieter night, coming on late and hitting the post in stoppage time, but the Bernabéu was all about Bellingham's swagger.
• PSG 1–1 Lyon – Kylian Mbappé (pen 22') opened the scoring after a clumsy challenge on Ousmane Dembélé, but Lyon hit back through Alexandre Lacazette (54'). Mbappé had chances to win it – one-on-one saved, one volley skied – and you could feel the frustration. From hero in Madrid rumours to "why didn't he bury those?" in the same week.

Title race context: who's on top now?

That City-Arsenal result is absolutely seismic. City leapfrog Arsenal in the Premier League table, turning what looked like Arsenal's statement season back into a familiar story: Pep's machine surging when it matters most. Arsenal aren't out of it, but dropping points head-to-head is brutal at this stage.

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

With Liverpool also winning, the top three are locked in a tiny points spread. One bad week and you can slide from favourites to chasing.

Champions League vibes & top scorers today

Even though the Champions League wasn't on tonight, everything we saw screams European implications. Haaland's hat-trick pushes his overall season tally into silly numbers again, while Bellingham's brace in LaLiga just keeps building his aura before the knockout rounds. If you're watching the top scorers today across Europe, those two are out in front for "who scares defenders most" right now.

Salah, with another calm finish for Liverpool, stays in the golden boot conversation in England. Mbappé's missed chances for PSG don't change the fact he's still a Champions League news magnet – every little dip gets dissected worldwide.

Reporter's take: bold, no filter

Let's be real: if you're Arsenal, this feels like a nightmare you've seen before. When it gets heavy, City find another gear and Arsenal start to wobble. In my opinion, Arteta's game plan was too cautious early on – you can't let De Bruyne and Haaland settle into rhythm at the Etihad and expect to survive.

On the flip side, this was absolute world-class from City. Haaland looked like he'd made a personal promise to tear this game apart. De Bruyne played like someone who heard every doubt about his fitness and laughed. And Pep? You just know he's going home thinking, "This is what my team really looks like."

Liverpool quietly taking care of business behind them just adds to the drama. One slip from City, one monster night from Salah at Anfield, and the table flips again. That's the beauty of this season: nobody's safe, not even Pep.

Final whistle: what next?

So if you're hunting Football results today, this is your headline: City batter Arsenal to reboot the title race, Haaland drops a hat-trick, and VAR becomes the villain of the night. Bellingham shines in Spain, Salah stays clutch, Mbappé looks human for once – and every league table just got a little more interesting.

Check full stats & standings now

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