Last?gasp drama! Liverpool vs Man City goes wild as Haaland & Salah light it up live

Liverpool and Man City trade blows in a chaotic Premier League live showdown – Haaland scores again, Salah responds, but one huge VAR call has everyone raging.

Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-23, the pitch is on fire... Did you see that Liverpool vs Manchester City clash at Anfield? This is exactly why you love soccer games – end?to?end chaos, superstar goals, and a VAR storm that has the whole internet melting down.

From the first whistle this felt like a title decider. Liverpool flew out of the traps, City kept their nerve, and in the end we got goals from Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah, and a late, late twist from Darwin Núñez that had the Kop jumping and Pep Guardiola raging on the touchline.

Premier League live chaos at Anfield

Liverpool started like a team that knew three points could flip the entire football league table. Inside 15 minutes, they turned pressure into payoff. A sharp move down the right saw Trent Alexander-Arnold fizz a low cross into the box. The ball took a tiny deflection off Rúben Dias, but it was Mohamed Salah who reacted fastest, smashing a left?footer past Ederson from close range. Salah 1–0.

City, though, always have an answer – and it’s usually called Erling Haaland. Around the half?hour mark, Kevin De Bruyne split the Liverpool back line with a filthy disguised pass. Haaland bullied Ibrahima Konaté off the ball, opened up his body and drilled a low finish into the far corner. Haaland 1–1.top scorers today list; he just doesn’t stop.

Right before half?time, Anfield exploded again. Luis Díaz danced in from the left, clipped in a cross, and after a scramble in the box, Dominik Szoboszlai pounced on a loose ball, lashing it into the roof of the net. 2–1 Liverpool, and City suddenly looked rattled.

Haaland, Salah, and the second?half storm

If you thought City were done, you haven’t watched enough of them over the last few seasons. Ten minutes after the restart, they were level again. A short?corner routine worked its way to De Bruyne on the edge of the area; his looping cross found John Stones, who headed back across goal for Erling Haaland to nod in from two yards out. Another brace for Haaland, another reminder that when we talk about the world’s deadliest finishers, he’s the headline act.

From there it turned into pure Premier League live mayhem. Salah nearly put Liverpool ahead again with a curler that kissed the outside of the post. At the other end, Phil Foden forced Alisson into a full?stretch save after cutting inside and unleashing one from distance. Every transition felt like it could decide the title race.

The VAR thunderbolt

Then came the moment everyone is talking about – the VAR call.

In the 82nd minute, City thought they’d nicked it. A slick counterattack ended with Foden slipping a pass into Julián Álvarez, who finished calmly past Alisson. The away end went wild, Haaland was chest?bumping Guardiola, and it looked like a classic smash?and?grab.

But wait. VAR check. The replay showed Haaland grappling with Virgil van Dijk in the build?up. After a painfully long review, the referee jogged to the monitor, had one look, and ruled the goal out for a foul by Haaland. No goal. The stadium erupted, City players were furious, and social media absolutely detonated. That decision is the Hot Topic of the night, no question.

Darwin Núñez: From chaos to clutch

And because football loves drama, the story wasn’t over. Deep into stoppage time, Liverpool launched one last attack. Alexander-Arnold switched play to Díaz, who drove at Kyle Walker and won a corner. From the resulting set piece, Szoboszlai whipped in a wicked ball, Van Dijk rose highest, and Ederson could only parry the header into traffic.

Who reacted quickest? Darwin Núñez. The man who lives for chaos stuck out a boot, prodded it past Ederson, and Anfield exploded. 3–2 Liverpool. Núñez peeled away to the corner flag, shirt off, yellow card be damned. City collapsed to their knees. It felt like a season?defining moment.

Heroes, flops, and what it means for the title race

Mo Salah wasn’t just on the scoresheet; he was everywhere. Drop?ins between the lines, pressing like a man possessed, constantly dragging defenders out of position. On nights like this, you remember why he’s still one of the most feared forwards on the planet.

Erling Haaland did exactly what you expect: two chances, two goals, pure cyborg efficiency. But that disallowed goal incident will haunt him – not because he scored it, but because his tussle with Van Dijk in the build?up gave VAR just enough to chalk it off.

Kevin De Bruyne was City’s brain, threading passes all evening, but he faded slightly late on as Liverpool’s midfield intensity cranked up. For Liverpool, Virgil van Dijk was a rock despite the goals conceded, and Dominik Szoboszlai looked like the complete modern midfielder – goal, assist, and a ridiculous work rate.

In the bigger picture, this result is absolutely massive. Liverpool’s win blows the title race wide open and could be the turning point of the season. City lose crucial ground, while Arsenal, watching from home, will be buzzing at the prospect of squeezing into the fight if they keep winning.

What does this mean for the title race? Liverpool leapfrog City and crank the pressure all the way up heading into the next round of fixtures. Every point is gold now, and one more slip from either side could decide it all. Click here for the live standings

Champions League news and wider soccer buzz

This domestic epic also drops just days before crucial Champions League ties. With both managers forced to squeeze every minute out of their best players, you have to wonder how tonight’s intensity will hit their European legs. Other top soccer games across Europe saw big names like Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham finding the net in their leagues, keeping them sharp and ready for midweek Champions League news to explode again.

The football league table picture across all major leagues is shifting fast, but nothing tonight felt bigger than what went down at Anfield.

My take: title statement, Guardiola headaches

From a young reporter’s seat, this felt like more than just three points – it felt like Liverpool planting a massive flag in the middle of the Premier League landscape and yelling, “We’re not going anywhere.”

In my opinion, City over?managed this one. Once they got it back to 2–2, they looked caught between sitting on the draw and going for the jugular. That hesitation killed them. Guardiola’s rotation choices will be under the microscope, especially taking off a buzzing Foden just before stoppage time when Liverpool were clearly ramping up the pressure.

For Liverpool, this was an absolute world?class performance in terms of mentality. They bent but didn’t break, survived Haaland doing Haaland things, and still found the courage to throw bodies forward at the death. Núñez is wild, unpredictable, and occasionally infuriating – but he’s also the kind of player who decides seasons with one scruffy toe?poke.

What's next?

The title race is officially madness. Every remaining round is going to feel like a cup final, and you can bet both these teams will be watching each other’s soccer games like hawks. Add in the Champions League knockout pressure and you’ve got a powder keg of a run?in coming.

If tonight is the standard, we’re in for a ridiculous few months of soccer news, late?night highlight binges, and angry tactical threads on X.

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