Haaland hat-trick, Foden screamer: Man City rip Spurs apart live in London

Manchester City blew Tottenham away in a wild goal-fest as Erling Haaland went nuclear and Phil Foden lit it up. But one huge VAR call has everyone raging.

Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-05, the pitch is on fire... You wanted chaos from your soccer games tonight? You got it. Manchester City walked into North London and absolutely torched Tottenham in a 4-1 Premier League statement win, with Erling Haaland smashing a hat-trick and Phil Foden dropping a highlight-reel curler… and yet all anyone can talk about is one monster VAR decision that flipped the mood inside the stadium.

Tottenham 1–4 Manchester City: Haaland goes full cheat code

This wasn't just a win, it was a title-race flex. From the first whistle, City pressed high, pinned Spurs in, and you could feel a goal coming. It took just 14 minutes: Kevin De Bruyne slipped a filthy through ball between the lines, Phil Foden cut inside from the left and curled a right-foot rocket into the far corner. Goal: Phil Foden (14') – classic Foden, classic City.

Spurs tried to punch back. They actually found a lifeline on 33 minutes when Son Heung-min darted in behind, collected a cute pass from James Maddison, and finished low across Ederson. Goal: Son Heung-min (33'). For about ten minutes, it felt like we had a proper slugfest.

Then Haaland entered full destruction mode.

On 41 minutes, City worked a short corner, De Bruyne swung in a wicked cross, and Erling Haaland bullied two defenders to power a header in from six yards. Goal: Erling Haaland (41'). Pure number 9 energy. But the real drama landed right after half-time.

The VAR flashpoint: did Spurs get robbed?

Spurs thought they were level on 52 minutes when Dejan Kulusevski crashed home from close range after a scramble. The stadium exploded… until the VAR lines came out. After a long, painful delay, the ref chalked it off for a marginal offside on Son in the build-up. Technically correct? Maybe. Emotionally brutal? Absolutely. That decision is the hot topic right now and X (Twitter) is melting down over it.

City smelled blood. Just four minutes after the VAR chaos, they killed the vibe. Bernardo Silva nicked the ball high, slipped it into Haaland, and the big Norwegian shrugged off Cristian Romero before drilling a left-foot finish inside the near post. Goal: Erling Haaland (56'). You could almost hear the air leave the stadium.

Spurs pushed numbers forward late, and that just opened more space for Haaland on the break. In stoppage time, City turned defense into pure carnage: Foden carried the ball 40 yards on the counter, released Jérémy Doku down the left, and his low cutback found Haaland steaming into the box. One touch, one ruthless finish into the roof of the net. Goal: Erling Haaland (90+2' – hat-trick).

Stars checked: heroes & flops

• Erling Haaland – Outrageous. Hat-trick hero, constant menace, lived on the last shoulder all night. If this is his stride, the Golden Boot race might be done already.
• Phil Foden – Scored a stunner, assisted the killer counter at the end, and kept drifting into pockets Spurs just couldn't close. One of those "you can't bench me" performances.
• Kevin De Bruyne – Two assists, tempo control, and he basically wrote the script for City's best moves. Not as explosive as peak KDB, but still the brain of this team.
• Son Heung-min – Took his goal nicely and never stopped running, but he was feeding on scraps. Once City tightened up, he barely saw a clean chance.
• James Maddison – Early on he looked sharp, threading lines and finding Son, but faded badly under City's press. Needed more from him when Spurs chased the game.

Title race shockwaves & live standings

This result is massive. City not only bag three points away at a tricky ground, they also boost their goal difference and throw serious pressure on their title rivals. Spurs, meanwhile, slide further away from the top four conversation and look like a team that still can't manage big moments against the elite.

City's win nudges them closer to the summit and might even send them top depending on other Premier League live results tonight. Spurs drift, and the gap to Champions League spots is suddenly real, not just a bad week narrative.

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

Elsewhere in Europe: Bellingham & Mbappé keep the spotlight

While England was losing its mind over Haaland, the rest of Europe's soccer games weren't exactly quiet.

In Spain, Jude Bellingham delivered again for Real Madrid. He opened the scoring with a late-arriving run into the box, smashing home a cutback from Vinícius Júnior. Goal: Jude Bellingham. Later, Vinícius added one himself with a slick one-on-one finish after Rodrygo's through ball. Goal: Vinícius Júnior. Bellingham wasn't perfect – he missed a big chance on a header – but his influence in the final third is ridiculous for a midfielder.

In France, Kylian Mbappé kept his name at the top of the top scorers today board with a brace for PSG. First, he curled a right-foot shot in from the edge of the area after linking with Ousmane Dembélé. Goal: Kylian Mbappé. Then, from the spot, he smashed a penalty into the top corner. Goal: Kylian Mbappé (pen). Defenses know exactly what's coming, and still can't stop him.

These results don't just light up the highlight reels – they matter for the football league table in every country, especially with Champions League news swirling about who might face who in the knockouts and who's quietly slipping out of qualification spots.

My take: statement win, serious questions

From a young reporter's eye test? This felt like one of those "season-defining" nights. City looked like a machine again – aggressive press, midfield control, and a striker who punishes every half-mistake. In my opinion, Haaland wasn't just good, he played like a guy genuinely angry at the recent criticism about his all-round play. His link-up was sharper, his movement smarter, and his finishing as cold as ever.

Spurs, though… yes, the VAR call was brutal, but you can't hang everything on that. The defensive structure fell apart after 60 minutes, and the midfield stopped tracking runners. If this slide continues, the manager is going to start feeling serious heat – especially with Champions League spots slipping away while rivals grind out ugly wins.

Across Europe, Bellingham and Mbappé are basically running their own individual Ballon d'Or campaigns already. Bellingham is giving Real Madrid an extra forward every time he steps onto the pitch, and Mbappé is just stacking numbers for fun. If you're hunting soccer news and trying to guess who owns the next decade, you're watching all three: Haaland, Bellingham, Mbappé.

Final whistle: don't blink now

So where does that leave us? City roaring, Spurs wobbling, Madrid and PSG's megastars cooking, and the Champions League picture getting spicier by the day. The margins at the top are tiny, and nights like this – big away wins, controversial calls, hat-tricks from your main man – are exactly what swing a title race.

If you're trying to make sense of all the chaos from today's soccer games, you absolutely need to see how this all hits the numbers.

Check full stats & standings now

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