Liverpool stun City 3-2 in late thriller – Salah & Haaland go off live

Liverpool edge Man City 3-2 in a wild Anfield finish – Salah shines, Haaland scores but can’t save City as the title race explodes live.

Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-12, the pitch is on fire... If you were looking for Football results today and chaos, Liverpool vs Manchester City at Anfield just served up a full-course drama: a 3-2 home win with Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland both on the scoresheet and the Premier League live title race shaken hard.

Liverpool 3-2 Manchester City – Salah vs Haaland, and a wild finale

This was one of those nights where you just sit back and think: "Did that really happen?" Liverpool came flying out, City punched back, and the last 15 minutes were pure madness.

Liverpool drew first blood. In the 18th minute, Mohamed Salah did Mohamed Salah things. He drifted in from the right, played a quick one-two with Dominik Szoboszlai, and smashed a left-foot rocket into the far corner. 1-0, Anfield bouncing, Salah roaring – absolute elite finish.

But you knew City wouldn’t just roll over. On 34 minutes, Kevin De Bruyne dropped one of those trademark whipped crosses that only he sees. Erling Haaland shrugged off his marker and powered a header past Alisson from close range. Classic Haaland: one touch, one goal, cold as ice. 1-1 and suddenly it felt like the game had just started.

Right after half-time, Liverpool hit again. A corner from Trent Alexander-Arnold was flicked on by Virgil van Dijk and fell to Darwin Núñez at the back post, who smashed it in on 51 minutes. Pure chaos in the six-yard box, pure relief in the Kop. 2-1 Liverpool, Núñez screaming into the camera, the place going nuts.

City, though, are never dead. In the 70th minute, De Bruyne worked a short corner routine with Phil Foden. Foden slipped inside, cut onto his left, and curled a gorgeous shot into the far top corner. 2-2 and you just knew there was at least one more twist coming.

And then came the moment everyone’s arguing about. On 88 minutes, Núñez raced into the box and went down under a tangle with Rúben Dias. The ref pointed straight to the spot. VAR check took ages, social media went into meltdown, but the decision stood. Up stepped Salah in the 91st minute, eyes locked on the ball, and he buried the penalty low to the keeper’s right for his second of the night. 3-2 Liverpool. Anfield shaking. City players surrounding the ref. Absolute scenes.

Heroes, flops & those big-name storylines

• Mohamed Salah – Two goals (18' and 90+1' pen), constant threat, nonstop movement. When Liverpool needed a grown-up to win the game, he delivered. World-class, again.
• Erling Haaland – Took his header brilliantly on 34', but outside the goal he was kept quieter than usual by Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté. One chance, one goal, but not enough to drag City over the line.
• Kevin De Bruyne – Two massive contributions: the assist for Haaland and the clever routine leading to Foden's goal. His passing range was ridiculous, but he faded a bit in the final 10 when City desperately needed one more killer ball.
• Phil Foden – That 70' equaliser was outrageous. He stepped up in the big moment and looked like City's sharpest attacker after Haaland.
• Trent Alexander-Arnold – Defensively still had a few dicey moments vs Foden, but his set-pieces and switches of play were huge for Liverpool's attacking rhythm.

The big controversy, of course, is the late penalty on Núñez. City fans swear it's soft, Liverpool fans are calling it "stonewall" – classic VAR-era split. The replays showed contact from Dias on Núñez's trailing leg; some refs give it, some don't. Tonight, Liverpool got the call.

What this does to the football league table

This result explodes the title race. Liverpool leapfrog City and crank up the pressure on everyone chasing the top. City, meanwhile, might look back at this night and wonder how they let it slip from 2-2 with the momentum on their side.

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

If you're tracking Football results today across Europe, this one is the statement result from England. Arsenal, Spurs, and the rest will be watching those numbers on the table update in real time and licking their lips. Every dropped City point is a gift.

Champions League news & top scorers today

While England was locked into Salah vs Haaland, the Champions League storyline refused to stay quiet. Over on the continent, the talk is how today's domestic form translates into Europe.

For Liverpool, Salah's brace doesn't just boost his Premier League tally – it keeps him in the broader conversation among Europe's top scorers today. City will still fancy themselves in the Champions League, but tonight exposed the one thing that can hurt them: defensive lapses and a back line that panics under relentless pressing.

Managers will be watching these Football results today and thinking: if Liverpool can rattle City like that, there's a blueprint for Champions League knockout chaos too.

Social Media Spotlight: Salah, VAR and Anfield noise

The internet did what it always does – it exploded the second that VAR penalty was confirmed. The hashtag #LIVMCI is absolutely flooded with freeze-frames, slow-mo clips and fan rants from both sides.

On X, clips of the Dias–Núñez contact are being rewound frame by frame. Some are calling it "Anfield bias", others are throwing up stills of shirt-pulls on Núñez from earlier in the game asking why those weren't checked too. It's peak football discourse.

Over on Instagram, Liverpool's official account (@liverpoolfc) is already posting tunnel scenes, Salah celebrating with the fans, and the classic dressing-room photo with three points locked in. Expect Salah's own page to be a flood of comments about the penalty and his calm finish.

YouTube is stacked with highlight packages – official broadcasters like Sky Sports Football and other channels are already pushing clips of Salah's opener, Foden's curler, and of course that injury-time spot-kick. Perfect binge material if you somehow missed this live.

Reporter's take: this felt like a turning-point night

Honestly, this didn't just feel like another big-six clash – it felt like a tilt in power for this season. In my opinion, Liverpool showed the kind of fearless intensity you need if you actually want to rip the title out of City's hands. Salah was on a different level, Núñez played like an agent of chaos in the best way, and the crowd carried them over the line.

For City, there's a question mark hovering over the defence. Rúben Dias is usually a rock, but tonight he got dragged into one duel too many and made the crucial mistake. Pep will say they controlled large chunks of the game – and they did – but controlling a game and killing it off are two totally different things.

If this is the energy Liverpool keep bringing, they're not just hanging around in the conversation, they're genuinely pushing to be favourites. City, meanwhile, suddenly look… human. And the rest of the league, not to mention the Champions League pack, will smell a tiny bit of blood.

Closing whistle: Football results today are shaking everything up

So, if you're scrolling for Football results today and wondering which scoreline really matters, it's this one. Liverpool 3-2 Manchester City isn't just a crazy game – it's a statement that the title race is absolutely, completely, wonderfully alive.

Don't just stare at the score; you need to see how it shifts the bigger picture.

Check full stats & standings now

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@ ad-hoc-news.de