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

Man City outgun Liverpool in a wild 4-3, Haaland hits a hat-trick, Salah answers back – but one huge VAR call has everyone raging. Is the title race swinging?

Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-08, the pitch is on fire... You wanted football results today? Buckle up. The Premier League just served up a nerve-shattering classic at the Etihad as Manchester City 4-3 Liverpool lit up the night, Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah going punch for punch while VAR stole half the headlines.

Man City 4-3 Liverpool – Haaland vs Salah in a seven-goal storm

This was exactly why you clear your schedule for Premier League live action. From the first whistle, it felt like a title decider in February.

Scoring timeline:

• 12' – 1-0: Erling Haaland powers home a header from a Kevin De Bruyne corner.
• 24' – 1-1: Mohamed Salah curls in a trademark left-foot finish after cutting in from the right.
• 39' – 2-1: Phil Foden drills low into the far corner after slick one-touch build-up.
• 54' – 2-2: Darwin Núñez scrambles in from close range after chaos from a corner.
• 68' – 3-2: Erling Haaland smashes in from the penalty spot.
• 81' – 3-3: Mohamed Salah again, clipping a cool finish after a Trent Alexander-Arnold through ball.
• 90+2' – 4-3: Erling Haaland completes his hat-trick with a towering header on the counter.

The game exploded straight away. City pressed high, and it was that man Kevin De Bruyne who looked like he'd never been away – whipping in the 12th-minute corner that Haaland attacked like a freight train. One step, one leap, 1-0. Pure No.9 energy.

Liverpool didn't blink. Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai started winning second balls, and on 24 minutes, Salah did Salah things. He took a sharp pass from Szoboszlai, chopped inside Joško Gvardiol, and curled it into the far corner. Ederson flew, but he wasn't getting near that. 1-1 and game fully on.

City responded like champions. A slick triangle between Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne, and Phil Foden ended with Foden driving low across goal on 39 minutes. Alisson got fingers to it but not enough – 2-1 and the Etihad roaring again.

Second-half chaos: VAR, penalties and late heartbreak

The big talking point? A massive second-half VAR decision that flipped the mood completely.

At 2-1, Liverpool earned a corner on 52 minutes. The ball pinballed around, Virgil van Dijk kept it alive, and eventually Darwin Núñez bundled it over the line. City players screamed for a foul on Ederson, but after a long VAR check, the goal stood. 2-2 and you could feel the tension through the screen.

Then came the flashpoint on 66 minutes. Haaland spun in behind, went shoulder-to-shoulder with Van Dijk and hit the deck in the box. The referee pointed straight to the spot. Liverpool were furious, Van Dijk raging that Haaland initiated the contact. VAR checked, fans held their breath... and the decision stood. Penalty City.

Erling Haaland stepped up on 68 minutes, stared Alisson down, and hammered it low to the keeper's right. 3-2, his second of the night, and the Etihad bouncing.

But Liverpool just don't die. On 81 minutes, Trent Alexander-Arnold slipped a filthy disguised pass through the lines, Salah timed his run perfectly, took one touch to set, and dinked it beyond Ederson. 3-3 and Klopp was on the pitch celebrating like it was a winner.

Only, it wasn't. With stoppage time ticking away, City launched one last attack. De Bruyne carried the ball through midfield, slid it wide to Foden, and Foden whipped a devilish cross to the back post. Haaland climbed above everyone, including Van Dijk, and powered home a 90+2-minute header. 4-3. Hat-trick. Bedlam.

Heroes and flops: who owned the night?

• Erling Haaland (Man City) – Hero. A brutal, match-winning hat-trick. Two towering headers, one ice-cold penalty, and endless pressing. This is exactly why he terrifies defenders across Europe.
• Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – Hero in defeat. Two clutch finishes, constantly dangerous, always the outlet. He dragged Liverpool back into it twice, and honestly didn't deserve to be on the losing side.
• Kevin De Bruyne (Man City) – Back to puppet-master mode. Two assists, countless line-breaking passes, and he set the tempo for everything City did in the final third.
• Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) – Battled hard, but loses marks for the penalty incident and getting beaten by Haaland on that last header. For a defender of his level, that will sting.

For a day packed with football results today across Europe, this one stole the spotlight. Elsewhere, Real Madrid and PSG handled their business with comfortable wins in LaLiga and Ligue 1, but no one matched the chaos at the Etihad.

What this does to the football league table

This result feels huge. City leapfrog Liverpool in the football league table and tighten their grip on the title race, while Liverpool suddenly look over their shoulders at Arsenal and others closing in. The gap at the top isn't massive, but psychologically, losing like this – in stoppage time, after twice clawing back – can bruise a dressing room.

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

If you're checking top scorers today, Haaland just boosted his Golden Boot numbers again, pulling clear of the chasing pack. Salah keeps pace, but nights like this prove that one lethal striker in a supercharged team can decide everything.

Social Media Spotlight: Fans lose it over VAR and Haaland

The internet went straight into meltdown. The big story? That penalty call on Van Dijk. Liverpool fans are calling it soft; City fans say it's textbook modern penalty. Meanwhile, Haaland memes and Salah appreciation posts are everywhere.

Reporter's take: this felt like a statement win

From a pure vibes perspective, this was City planting a flag in the ground. In my view, Pep Guardiola got his big-game plan spot on: aggressive press, De Bruyne high up the pitch, Foden pinning Liverpool back, and Haaland left to do what he does best – terrorise the box.

For Liverpool, there's both pride and pain. Salah was unreal, Trent looked like a playmaker in full flow, and Núñez bullied City's back line at times. But at this level, details matter. Switch off once on a 90+2 counter, give Haaland half a yard, and you're picking the ball out of your net.

Do I think this ends Liverpool's title challenge? Not yet. But emotionally, this is the kind of defeat that forces a response. We'll find out in the next couple of weeks if this squad has another gear.

Closing whistle: more drama to come

So, if you're scrolling for soccer news, today belongs to City and Haaland. A hat-trick, a last-minute winner, a dose of VAR madness – this was a match report you bookmark and rewatch on highlights all week.

With the Champions League just around the corner, nights like this send a message to Europe too. If you're tracking Champions League news, every rival just watched Haaland and De Bruyne torch one of the best teams in the world and quietly took notes.

Check full stats & standings now

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