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

Five-goal madness, Haaland on fire, Son strikes again – but late drama and VAR chaos flip the script in this wild Premier League showdown.

Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-26, the pitch is on fire... You wanted wild soccer games? You got a straight-up Premier League rollercoaster in North London, with Manchester City and Tottenham ripping up every script in a 3-2 City win that felt like a Champions League knockout. Goals flying in, VAR sirens blaring, and Erling Haaland bullying the box like it’s his backyard.

Man City edge Spurs in a five-goal storm

From the first whistle, this felt different. City pressed high, Spurs tried to spring Son Heung-min in behind, and you could almost feel the first goal begging to drop. It didn’t take long.

On 14 minutes, Kevin De Bruyne slid in one of those filthy, trademark through balls, and Erling Haaland did what Erling Haaland does: one touch to separate from his marker, second touch to bury it low past the keeper for 0-1. Ice-cold, clinical, ruthless.

Tottenham didn’t fold, though. In the 29th minute, Son Heung-min dragged his side back. Dejan Kulusevski cut inside from the right, chipped a teasing cross, and Son ghosted between Ruben Dias and Kyle Walker to nod home the 1-1 equaliser. Son’s movement? Pure elite.

Then came the first flashpoint. On 41 minutes, Haaland burst into the box again, went shoulder-to-shoulder with Cristian Romero, and hit the deck. The ref waved play on, City went wild, and then — classic 2020s football — VAR told him to take another look. After a painfully long check, the penalty was given. Spurs fans in the stadium and on social were absolutely losing it.

Haaland stepped up, stared down the keeper, and smashed the penalty into the top-right corner for 1-2. Two shots, two goals. The man is basically a glitch in the matrix.

Second-half chaos: hat-trick hero vs Spurs fightback

If you thought City would cruise, forget it. Straight after the break, Tottenham came out furious. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg snapped into tackles, James Maddison started finding pockets, and the tempo skyrocketed.

On 57 minutes, Maddison threaded a cute pass to Son, who rolled it across goal for Richarlison to tap in from close range. 2-2, and the stadium erupted. City’s defence looked rattled; Pep Guardiola on the touchline was doing the full animated rant routine.

But this was Haaland’s night. In the 74th minute, City won a corner. De Bruyne whipped it in with that vicious, dipping pace, and Haaland simply out-jumped everyone. Boom. Bullet header, bottom corner, hat-trick sealed. 2-3 to City, and the away end went absolutely mental.

Spurs threw the kitchen sink late on — Maddison had a curler tipped over, and Son dragged a shot just wide in stoppage time — but City clung on. Final whistle: Tottenham 2–3 Manchester City, and this one is going straight into the season highlight reel.

Stars of the show: Heroes & flops

• Erling Haaland (Manchester City) – Hat-trick hero. Three goals (14', 43' pen, 74') and an absolutely dominant physical performance. His movement in the box is just unfair at this point.
• Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) – Two assists, one from open play, one from a corner. When he’s healthy, he’s still the best playmaker on the planet. Spurs never figured out how to shut down that passing lane.
• Son Heung-min (Tottenham) – A goal, an assist, and constant danger on the break. Son did everything he could to drag Spurs back into it.
• Richarlison (Tottenham) – Got his goal, worked hard off the ball, but fluffed a good chance at 2-2 that could’ve flipped the whole story.
• Tottenham defence – Flop unit of the night. Romero & Co. simply couldn’t live with Haaland’s movement and physicality, especially on set pieces.

Title race: how big is this result?

This win is massive for Manchester City. Three points away at Spurs is never routine, and with rivals breathing down their necks, slipping up here would’ve opened the door in the title race. Instead, City stay right on pace, while Tottenham get dragged back into an ugly scrap for those Champions League spots.

Spurs fans will feel that VAR penalty was the turning point, but the table doesn’t care about feelings — it just counts points. With City surging and the chasing pack stacked up behind them, every single goal like Haaland’s header tonight is going to echo deep into May.

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

Social Media Spotlight: rage, memes & Haaland mania

While the players were catching their breath, social media straight-up exploded. The big talking point? That first-half VAR penalty for Haaland. Some fans are calling it “soft”, others saying it’s stonewall — and the hashtag timeline is pure chaos.

Reporter’s take: this felt like a statement

I’m just going to say it straight: this was a statement win from City and from Haaland. When the pressure is on, and the opponent is fast, aggressive, and hunting for blood, the truly elite sides find a way. City did exactly that.

The flip side? Tottenham can’t keep talking about progress and "project football" while defending like this in big soccer games. You can’t give Haaland three clean looks and expect to walk away smiling. For all the attacking firepower Spurs have — and Son was brilliant again — they still feel one elite centre-back away from being the real deal.

From a neutral point of view, though? Absolute box-office. End-to-end football, stars stepping up, controversy, late drama. This is why you stay glued to Premier League live coverage and refresh your feed every few seconds.

What’s next?

For City, this kind of win throws down a challenge to everyone else in the league. Drop points now, and they’re gone. For Spurs, the mission is brutally simple: fix the back line, keep feeding Son, and hope this doesn’t become the night where their top-four push started to unravel.

If you’re trying to work out just how much damage – or momentum – this result has created, you’ve got to look at the league table in real time. Every win, every draw, every dodgy VAR call is tilting that balance.

Check full stats & standings now

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