Haaland hat-trick chaos as Man City edge Spurs in 7-goal Premier League live thriller
26.01.2026 - 04:49:09
Seven-goal madness: Man City 4–3 Spurs
If you blinked, you missed a goal. Erling Haaland was absolutely unplayable, smashing a ruthless hat-trick while Son Heung-min dragged Spurs into the fight with two clinical finishes of his own.
City came out like a storm. On 9 minutes, Erling Haaland opened the scoring – classic Haaland: a sharp cut-back from Phil Foden, one touch to set, second touch drilled low past the keeper. 1–0 and the Etihad bouncing.
But Spurs hit back fast. On 18 minutes, Son Heung-min timed his run perfectly between the lines, collected a slick pass from James Maddison, and slotted into the far corner. 1–1 and suddenly City looked rattled.
Then came the first big flashpoint. On 32 minutes, a driven cross from Jeremy Doku smashed into the arm of a sliding Spurs defender. The ref waved play on, but VAR called him to the screen. After a long, tense check, penalty given. Up stepped Haaland, ice-cold, sending the keeper the wrong way for 2–1. Spurs fans online? Absolutely furious about the call.
Right on the stroke of half-time, City stretched it to 3–1. Kevin De Bruyne – pulling strings like only he can – dropped a filthy outside-of-the-boot pass in behind, and Haaland bullied his marker, shrugged him off, and smashed home from close range. Hat-trick inside 45 minutes? Not quite yet, but you felt it coming.
Second half, different vibe. Spurs came out angry. On 54 minutes, Son Heung-min made it 3–2 with an outrageous solo goal – spinning away from his marker near halfway, driving at the heart of City’s back line and curling it into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. World-class finish. Ederson had no chance.
Then the Etihad went silent. On 67 minutes, a Spurs corner dropped loose in the box, and Cristian Romero pounced, lashing it into the roof of the net. 3–3, City’s defenders screaming at each other, Guardiola raging on the touchline.
With the game on a knife-edge, the big names had to show up. De Bruyne started drifting deeper, dictating tempo. Foden buzzed between the lines. But the hero moment fell to a different star: on 81 minutes, Doku roasted his full-back again, cut inside and unleashed a shot that the keeper could only parry. Who else but Erling Haaland, reacting faster than everyone, tapped in the rebound for his hat-trick. 4–3, stadium explodes.
The drama wasn’t done. Deep into stoppage time, Spurs thought they’d snatched a point when substitute Richarlison headed in from close range – but VAR drew the lines and ruled his shoulder just offside. Agony for Spurs, relief for City. That offside call is the viral clip of the night.
Stars under the spotlight
- Erling Haaland – Absolutely monstrous. Three goals, constant menace, bullied centre-backs all night. Pure No. 9 chaos.
- Kevin De Bruyne – Maybe not on the scoresheet, but his passing broke Spurs again and again. Two assists, and every City attack seemed to run through him.
- Phil Foden – Sharp, slippery, intelligent. Set up the opener and linked midfield to attack with real maturity.
- Son Heung-min – Two goals in a losing effort, but he looked like the most dangerous player in white. His second goal was genuine highlight-reel stuff.
- James Maddison – Threaded some lovely passes, including the assist for Son’s first, but faded as City turned the screw late on.
Defensively, both sides were a mess at times. City’s high line gave Son and Richarlison acres to run into, while Spurs looked terrified every time a cross came near Haaland. Neutrals? Loving every second.
Football results today: how this hits the title race
This win is absolutely massive in the context of the football league table. City keep the pressure right at the top, while Spurs slip further away from the front runners and get dragged deeper into the scrap for European spots. With Arsenal and Liverpool breathing down their necks, every dropped point feels like a disaster.
City’s three points tonight tighten things up at the summit – Haaland’s goals don’t just win matches, they shift moods and momentum. Spurs, meanwhile, are in that awkward zone: too good to panic, but dropping just enough points that Champions League places start to look nervy.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
Champions League vibes without the anthem
Honestly, this felt like a Champions League news headline waiting to happen. The intensity, the speed, the stars – Haaland, De Bruyne, Son, Maddison – everyone playing at full tilt. On another night, this is a quarter-final classic in Europe, not just a domestic league game.
And that’s the key: matches like this are exactly why the top four race matters. You want more nights under the lights, more clashes between killers like Haaland and Son, more late VAR decisions that break the internet.
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X Discussion: Fans raging over the late VAR offside and Haaland's hat-trick heroics
My take: this was Haaland’s statement night
In my opinion, this is one of those nights we’ll point back to if City end up lifting the trophy. When the pressure was on and Spurs kept punching back, Haaland refused to blink. Strikers get judged on the biggest moments – and he decided this insane Premier League live showdown almost by himself.
Spurs, though, can’t hide behind the drama. Conceding four, losing track of runners, switching off at the back post – that’s not top-four defending. Son and Maddison did enough going forward to deserve something, but if the structure behind them keeps crumbling, they’re going to be watching the Champions League on TV instead of hearing that anthem in real life.
For neutrals, for anyone following football results today, this was pure entertainment: seven goals, iconic strikers delivering, and VAR becoming the villain in everyone’s timeline. For managers? Probably a tactical nightmare to rewatch tomorrow.
What next?
The ripple effect from tonight is huge. City march on, their confidence boosted, their star striker looking unstoppable. Spurs stumble, questions will be asked of their defence and game management, and the debate over that offside and the earlier penalty will rage all week across soccer news shows and fan channels.
If you’re trying to make sense of how this reshapes the season – the top scorers today, the form teams, the title race, the race for fourth – you need to keep one eye on the table and one eye on the fixture list. Nights like this don’t just give you an instant classic; they shift the whole mood of the league.
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