Haaland hat-trick, City go top: Premier League chaos live on feb 24

Erling Haaland’s ruthless hat-trick flips the title race on its head – but a late VAR twist has everyone raging. Did City just win the league tonight?

Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-24, the pitch is on fire... You wanted football results today and wow, did the Premier League deliver. Manchester City smashed their way back to the top with Erling Haaland putting on a cold?blooded clinic, while Liverpool stumbled in a wild, controversial finish that has social media absolutely melting down.

Premier League Live Shockwaves: City ruthless, Liverpool rattled

Let’s start with the headline act in the Premier League live action: Manchester City 4–1 Newcastle United at the Etihad. City didn’t just win, they sent a message.

Erling Haaland was on a different planet. The scoring opened when Phil Foden slipped a filthy reverse pass into Haaland on 17 minutes, and the Norwegian drilled low across goal for 1–0. Newcastle hit back, though – a quick break saw Alexander Isak finish coolly past Ederson for 1–1, and for a split second it felt like we might actually have a title?race twist.

Then Haaland decided he’d had enough.

On 39 minutes, Kevin De Bruyne clipped a trademark whipped ball to the back post, Haaland bullied his marker and thumped in a header for 2–1. After the break, chaos: a loose ball in the box on 58 minutes, one touch out of his feet, hat?trick sealed – Haaland’s third of the night and City’s 3–1. The fourth came when substitute Julián Álvarez pounced on a rebound to bury it from close range on 82 minutes.

Top scorers today? No debate. Haaland, again. Clinical, brutal, inevitable. This is exactly the monster City need in the run?in.

Heroes and flops: Big names under the spotlight

Erling Haaland – hero status, obviously. Three goals, non?stop movement, constant panic for Newcastle’s back line. His second, that sheer power header, will be on every highlight reel tonight.

Kevin De Bruyne – not on the scoresheet but still pure class. Two assists, dictating tempo, sliding passes between lines like it’s a training drill. You could almost hear Newcastle’s midfield begging for the whistle.

Phil Foden – slippery, sharp, involved in everything dangerous. He grabbed a clever assist for Haaland’s opener and kept dragging defenders out of position. Quietly one of City’s best.

For Newcastle, Bruno Guimarães had a rough one. Caught in transition, swarmed by City press, and lost Haaland’s run on the third goal. Kieran Trippier had his hands full all night, and you could see the frustration every time City overloaded his flank.

Title race twist: Liverpool stall in a VAR?soaked thriller

While City were flying, Liverpool were left fuming as they drew 2–2 with Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield in one of the most chaotic games of the season.

Liverpool exploded out of the gates. On 9 minutes, Mohamed Salah tapped in after Darwin Núñez drilled a low cross across the six?yard box – classic Anfield chaos for 1–0. Spurs looked rattled, and it got worse when Dominik Szoboszlai smashed a 25?yard screamer into the top corner on 28 minutes for 2–0. Anfield was bouncing, and the Kop was chanting like the title was already back on Merseyside.

But Tottenham refused to die. Just before half?time, Heung?Min Son ghosted in behind after a slick move involving James Maddison, slid it low past Alisson and suddenly it was 2–1. Game. On.

Then came the moment everyone is shouting about tonight. In the 86th minute, Son flicked a ball through to Richarlison, who went down under a challenge from Virgil van Dijk. The ref waved play on, Anfield roared approval… and then VAR stepped in. Long check, endless replays, and finally: penalty Spurs. Absolute meltdown in the stands.

Richarlison stepped up, sent Alisson the wrong way, and made it 2–2. Liverpool threw everything at it in stoppage time – Salah hit the post, Núñez skied a huge chance – but the winner never came. Two points dropped that feel way, way bigger.

Big?name verdicts: Salah vs Son

Mohamed Salah looked sharp early, constantly finding pockets and linking up with Núñez. One goal, one big missed chance at the end. Not a flop, but when the title margins are this thin, those misses hurt.

Darwin Núñez was chaos personified – one assist, huge energy, but still wasteful. You can feel the frustration building when he snatches at chances.

On the other side, Heung?Min Son and Richarlison turned into villains for the Kop but heroes for Spurs. Son’s finish for 2–1 was ice cold, and Richarlison had the nerve to bury that pressure?cooker penalty with the whole stadium booing him.

What this does to the football league table

So, what do tonight’s football results today actually mean? Simple: Manchester City leap to the top of the Premier League, while Liverpool slip behind after dropping those two home points. City’s goal difference gets an extra boost thanks to that 4–1 battering of Newcastle, and that could be massive in May.

Liverpool are now chasing, not leading, and Spurs quietly keep themselves in the Champions League spots with that gritty point at Anfield. Newcastle’s European hopes take a dent, with defensive frailties brutally exposed.

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

Champions League news: momentum swings

With the Champions League knockout rounds right around the corner, tonight’s performances feel like a warning shot. City look tuned up and terrifying – Haaland in hat?trick mode, De Bruyne silky as ever, the whole machine humming. If you’re Real Madrid, Bayern, PSG… you’re watching this and thinking, "Seriously, again?"

Liverpool, though, showed both sides of their European identity. Electrifying press, goals from Salah and Szoboszlai, but then defensive lapses and emotional chaos. In the Champions League, that kind of volatility can win you a magical night – or knock you out in 10 mad minutes.

Social Media Spotlight: chaos, controversy, carnage

Online, there’s only one phrase on repeat: "That VAR penalty at Anfield". Clips of the van Dijk–Richarlison contact are everywhere, slowed down, zoomed in, argued over from every angle. Some fans say there’s barely any contact; others insist it’s stonewall.

At the same time, Haaland’s hat?trick is breaking every highlight algorithm known to man. Freeze?frames of his header, heatmaps of his movement, and endless memes of defenders trying (and failing) to stop him.

Reporter’s hot take: City look inevitable, Liverpool look emotional

Let’s be brutally honest: Manchester City look like champions again. When Haaland is in this mood and De Bruyne is feeding him, it feels unfair. The football league table doesn’t lie – they’ve timed their run perfectly, and tonight was a statement that said, "Catch us if you can."

Liverpool, on the other hand, feel like they’re running on emotion as much as structure. Incredible going forward, no doubt. But title winners don’t concede soft penalties in the 86th minute and then miss sitters in stoppage time. In my opinion, they need more composure – and maybe a calmer edge up front than Núñez when the pressure’s suffocating.

As for Tottenham, you can’t ignore that mentality. Anfield, 2–0 down, everything against them – and they walk out with a point. That’s Champions League?team behaviour. It’s not pretty, but it’s huge.

Final whistle: where we stand after a wild night

So here we are: City flying, Liverpool fuming, Spurs grinning, Newcastle stuttering. The title race just swung hard towards the blue side of Manchester, but with this season’s chaos, no one is safe yet.

If you’re trying to make sense of all this madness – who’s top, who’s chasing, who’s sneaking into Europe – you need the full picture, not just the drama.

Check full stats & standings now

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