Liverpool stun City in late thriller – Salah & Haaland headline live chaos
11.02.2026 - 08:27:09
Liverpool 3-2 Manchester City – Salah steals the show, Haaland still lethal
Anfield under the lights, rain in the air, tension you could slice with a knife. The scoring kicked off early: in the 12th minute, Erling Haaland did what Erling Haaland does. Kevin De Bruyne slipped a filthy through ball between the lines, Haaland shrugged off his marker and smashed a low left-foot finish into the bottom corner. 1-0 City, and Liverpool looked stunned.
But this Liverpool side refused to fold. On 28 minutes, they were level. Mohamed Salah picked up the ball wide right, cut inside like we’ve seen a thousand times, and curled a left-foot rocket past Ederson into the far top corner. Seriously, did you see that?? An instant classic. 1-1 and Anfield exploded.
Just before half-time, the game went crazy. A loose ball from a corner fell to Virgil van Dijk at the back post. The captain chested it down and smashed a half-volley through a crowd of bodies in the 44th minute. VAR checked for offside and a possible handball in the build-up, but after a long, tense delay, the goal stood. 2-1 Liverpool and City’s bench was absolutely fuming.
Second half, City came flying out. De Bruyne started pulling strings, and in the 63rd minute the equaliser came. A slick move down the left ended with Phil Foden cutting it back to the edge of the box where Bernardo Silva arrived, side-footing a precise finish just inside the post. 2-2, and suddenly it felt like nobody was leaving this pitch with calm nerves.
The decisive moment? 88th minute madness. Liverpool broke at speed after a sloppy City corner. Darwin Núñez powered down the left, squared it low into the box, and Salah’s initial effort was blocked. The rebound dropped perfectly to Dominik Szoboszlai, who hammered it first-time into the roof of the net. 3-2 Liverpool, absolute carnage in the Kop.
One more twist though: in stoppage time, City thought they’d equalised again when Haaland turned in a low cross. But VAR intervened – this time to chalk it off for a marginal offside in the build-up on Foden. The away end went silent, Pep Guardiola was raging on the touchline, and Liverpool clung on for a gigantic three points.
Heroes & flops: how the stars performed
- Mohamed Salah – One goal, one secondary involvement in the winner, and constant chaos down the right. He was the heartbeat of everything Liverpool did well. Clinical, creative, and clutch.
- Erling Haaland – Took his goal brilliantly and terrorised Liverpool’s centre-backs, but he’ll be haunted by a big late chance he skied over and that disallowed stoppage-time goal. Still a monster, just not the match-winner this time.
- Kevin De Bruyne – That assist for Haaland was vintage KDB, and he dictated long stretches of the second half, but even he couldn’t drag City over the line.
- Virgil van Dijk – Monster performance at the back plus a huge goal. He won almost everything in the air and led the line like a warrior.
- Alisson – Big saves at crucial moments, especially denying Haaland one-on-one early in the second half. Quiet hero.
Other big football results today
Across Europe, it wasn’t just Anfield serving the drama. In LaLiga, Real Madrid kept their momentum with a gritty 2-1 home win, with Jude Bellingham again on the scoresheet. He opened the scoring with a late arriving run into the box, smashing home from close range, while Vinícius Júnior added the second with a low drive after cutting inside. The visitors snatched one back late, but Madrid held on.
In Ligue 1, Paris Saint-Germain rolled to a 3-0 win, with Kylian Mbappé grabbing a brace. First, a coolly taken penalty into the top corner, then a blistering run in behind and a dinked finish over the keeper. A third goal from a teammate after a Mbappé assist capped a statement performance from the French superstar – pure dominance.
Title race impact – where does this leave everyone?
Liverpool’s win over City blows the Premier League title race wide open. City drop crucial points while Liverpool leapfrog them in the football league table, nudging closer to the top and putting serious heat on the current leaders. Goal difference, head-to-head, games in hand – everything’s suddenly back in play. Over in Spain and France, Real Madrid and PSG strengthen their grip, but with fixtures piling up and Champions League news looming, there’s very little margin for error anywhere.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
Top scorers today – who owned the spotlight?
- Mohamed Salah – 1 crucial goal vs City, plus constant threat.
- Erling Haaland – 1 sharp finish, could’ve had more.
- Dominik Szoboszlai – 1 match-winning screamer in the 88th minute.
- Jude Bellingham – 1 vital goal to keep Madrid’s charge going.
- Kylian Mbappé – 2 goals and 1 assist in a pure superstar display.
The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans furious over that late VAR offside on Haaland
Reporter’s take: this felt like a statement night
In my opinion, this wasn’t just a big win for Liverpool – it was a message. Salah looked like a man on a mission, Van Dijk played like peak Van Dijk again, and the entire stadium felt plugged straight into a title charge. On the flip side, City looked strangely fragile under late pressure. You don’t usually see them lose control like that in the last 10 minutes.
Pep’s game plan worked in spells – Haaland got chances, De Bruyne created, Bernardo scored – but the defensive lapses on set pieces and counters were brutal. If City keep defending this naively in big away games, the Premier League crown is absolutely up for grabs.
As for the wider soccer news picture, Bellingham and Mbappé both delivering again is basically a weekly tradition at this point. If they hit this level when the Champions League knockout rounds kick in, we’re staring at some ridiculous matchups and storylines. Brace yourself.
What’s next?
With today’s football results, the next round of fixtures suddenly looks massive. City will be desperate to respond, Liverpool will try to ride this wave, and every dropped point from here on out will feel like a mini-crisis for anyone chasing the title.
Check full stats & standings now
Editorial Note: This article is for entertainment and information purposes regarding current sports events. Sports betting and financial investments carry risks. Please gamble responsibly. Always check odds and terms with the provider.
