Haaland hat-trick chaos as Man City edge Liverpool in live title thriller

Man City outgun Liverpool in a 3-2 classic, Haaland hits a hat-trick, Salah answers back – but one huge VAR offside call has everyone losing it.

Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-25, the pitch is on fire... Did you see that?? If you're into soccer games with pure chaos, drama, and elite finishing, Manchester City vs Liverpool just served up a 3-2 blockbuster that could swing the entire Premier League title race. Goals flying in, superstars delivering, and one gigantic VAR moment that's already melting social media.

Man City 3-2 Liverpool – Haaland vs Salah, pure box office

This one had everything. Manchester City beat Liverpool 3-2 at the Etihad in a game that felt like a Champions League knockout, not just another league fixture.

The scoring kicked off early: in the 9th minute, Mohamed Salah silenced the home crowd. After a slick move down the right, Luis Díaz slid a cute reverse pass into the box, Salah chopped inside Rúben Dias and smashed a left-foot shot into the far corner. 0-1 Liverpool, classic Salah – cold finish, big moment.

But you can't keep Erling Haaland quiet for long. On 24 minutes, Kevin De Bruyne, back to his creative best, picked him out with a devilish cross. Haaland bullied Virgil van Dijk, rose highest and buried a thumping header past Alisson. 1-1 and the Etihad woke up.

Just before half-time, City flipped the script. In the 43rd minute, Phil Foden danced in from the left, combined with Bernardo Silva, and when his low shot was parried by Alisson, Haaland pounced on the rebound. Tap-in, 2-1 City, Haaland at the double and Liverpool looked rattled.

Second-half mayhem and that huge VAR call

The second half was straight chaos. Liverpool came out swinging and got their reward on 61 minutes. Trent Alexander-Arnold clipped a diagonal to the back post, Díaz headed it across goal and Darwin Núñez smashed it home from close range. 2-2, and suddenly the away end was rocking.

Then came the moment everyone's arguing about. On 72 minutes, Núñez thought he'd made it 3-2 after racing through and dinking over Ederson. The stadium froze as VAR checked for offside. After a long check, the goal was ruled out – Núñez's shoulder judged to be off by millimetres. Liverpool players furious, Jürgen Klopp raging on the touchline, and the crowd absolutely losing it.

And as so often happens, the punishment came fast. Three minutes later, City went straight up the other end. De Bruyne slipped a filthy disguised pass between Van Dijk and Konaté, and Haaland burst through, one-on-one with Alisson. No hesitation, low and hard into the corner. Hat-trick. 3-2 City. The Etihad exploded.

Heroes and flops: how the stars really played

• Erling Haaland (Manchester City) – Pure monster mode. Clinical hat-trick (24', 43', 75'), bullied the Liverpool backline, and every time he got half a yard, it felt like a goal was coming. Absolute match-winner.
• Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) – Two assists and could've had more. His cross for the first Haaland goal and the through ball for the third were world?class. He dictated the tempo whenever City needed control.
• Phil Foden (Manchester City) – Electric between the lines, key in the buildup to the second goal. Faded a bit late on but his first-half performance tilted the game City's way.
• Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – Scored a brilliant opener and was Liverpool's sharpest threat. Kept asking questions of Gvardiol and Akanji, but faded as City squeezed the game in the last 20 minutes.
• Darwin Núñez (Liverpool) – Got his goal, worked hard, but his biggest moment is the one that didn't count. That VAR offside will haunt him and every Liverpool fan tonight.
• Virgil van Dijk & Ibrahima Konaté (Liverpool) – Struggled badly with Haaland's movement. Not exactly "flops", but they lost the key duels that decided the game.

Title race twist: where this leaves the Premier League table

This win is huge for City. Three points here doesn't just give them bragging rights, it nudges them ahead in a title race that's been razor-tight all season. Liverpool, who could've opened up a cushion with a win, now find themselves chasing instead of leading.

City's victory pushes them to the top of the football league table, with Liverpool just behind and the chasing pack praying for slip?ups. With Haaland hitting top gear and De Bruyne pulling strings, you can feel the momentum shifting sky blue.

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

Elsewhere in Europe: Bellingham & Mbappé keep Champions League vibes alive

Not just England lighting it up today. Across Europe, the stars put in big statements that will feed straight into the Champions League news cycle.

In Spain, Jude Bellingham bagged a late winner for Real Madrid in a tight 2-1 victory over Valencia at the Bernabéu. After Vinícius Júnior opened the scoring, Hugo Duro equalised, but Bellingham arrived late in the box on 88 minutes to side?foot home from a Rodrygo cutback. Classic Bellingham – clutch, composed, and completely owning the moment.

In France, Kylian Mbappé continued his demolition tour with a brace as PSG crushed Lyon 4-1. He scored a trademark breakaway goal in the 17th minute and then curled in a screamer from the edge of the box on 54. Defenders keep knowing what's coming, but they still can't stop him.

Social Media Spotlight: VAR rage & Haaland hype

As you'd expect, soccer news feeds are in meltdown. The official match hashtag #MCILIV is flooded with still frames of Núñez's offside lines, slow?motion replays of Haaland's hat-trick, and a solid amount of "the game's gone" memes.

My take: City are built for these nights

Let's be real: in a game this wild, the big question is who handles the chaos better. And right now, that's Manchester City. When pressure hit, they had De Bruyne picking passes and Haaland finishing like a machine. Liverpool played brave, Salah was sharp, but defensively they just couldn't live with City's movement.

In my opinion, Klopp got the approach mostly right – front-foot, aggressive, trying to punch City in the mouth – but if you leave this much space for Haaland, you're asking for trouble. On the flip side, Pep Guardiola will feel vindicated for sticking with his attacking lineup instead of trying to over-control the game.

This felt like a statement: when the Premier League's biggest soccer games arrive, City still have that extra killer edge. If this is the version of Haaland we're getting for the run-in, everyone else is in serious trouble.

What's next?

From here, it's all about consistency. City have seized the momentum, but there are still plenty of twists coming, both in the league and in Europe. With Champions League knockout ties looming, every minute, every goal, every small decision – and apparently every VAR line – is going to feel massive.

Want to see exactly how much this result changed the landscape? Dive into the full Premier League football league table and watch the title race take shape in real time.

Check full stats & standings now

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