Liverpool stun Man City in late Anfield thriller as title race goes live
07.02.2026 - 10:40:57
Football results today: Liverpool 3-2 Man City – a title race earthquake
Anfield under the lights, the noise already shaking before kick-off, and this clash delivered every bit of hype. Liverpool flew out of the blocks. On 14 minutes, Mohamed Salah opened the scoring, smashing a left-footed rocket into the top corner after a slick one-two with Darwin Núñez. City froze for a second, Salah didn’t – 1-0 and Anfield absolutely erupted.
City, though, don’t stay quiet for long. On 29 minutes, Kevin De Bruyne slid a filthy, defence-splitting pass straight into the path of Erling Haaland. One touch to steady, second to bury low past the keeper – classic Haaland, ruthless and cold. 1-1 and suddenly you could feel the tension: every tackle, every pass, every tiny mistake felt gigantic.
Right before half-time Liverpool hit back. A corner wasn’t cleared properly, the ball dropped on the edge of the box and Trent Alexander-Arnold hammered a bouncing volley through a sea of legs in the 44th minute. Deflection? Maybe. Scenes? Absolutely. 2-1 Liverpool at the break and Trent wheeling away in front of the Kop like he owned the place.
Second-half chaos: Haaland again, then a late Liverpool dagger
City came out after the restart like a team insulted. On 63 minutes, they forced Liverpool deeper and deeper. A De Bruyne corner found Rúben Dias, whose header crashed off the bar – and who else but Erling Haaland reacted first, nodding in from close range for his second of the night. 2-2, Haaland on a brace, and Liverpool wobbling.
The defining moment came late. On 82 minutes, Liverpool thought they’d gone ahead when Darwin Núñez bundled the ball over the line from close range after Salah’s cutback. The stadium exploded… until VAR stepped in. After a long, agonising check for offside, the goal was ruled out by the tightest of margins. City fans on social media? Loving it. Liverpool fans? Fuming. The VAR drama became the instant hot topic online.
But football loves a script. In the 89th minute, Salah picked the ball up wide, drove at his marker and whipped in a teasing cross. Substitute Diogo Jota, only on the pitch a few minutes, darted between defenders and flicked a header into the far corner. 3-2 Liverpool, Jota sprinting to the corner flag, Salah sliding on his knees behind him, and Anfield absolutely losing its mind. City had one late chance, a Haaland half-volley in stoppage time, but it flashed wide. Final whistle: Liverpool 3-2 Manchester City.
Heroes and flops: big names under the spotlight
Mohamed Salah was everywhere. One goal, one assist, and about a million problems created for City’s back line. When Liverpool needed a leader, he turned into a creator, dropping deep, spinning his man, and setting the tempo. This was prime Salah: ruthless in front of goal, unselfish on the ball, and completely locked in.
Erling Haaland did exactly what Haaland does: two goals, both deadly, barely any wasted touches. If City escape Anfield with anything, it’s usually because he’s bulldozed his way through – and he nearly did again. But in the decisive moments, Liverpool managed to crowd him out, cutting off the service and forcing him wide. Two goals and still on the losing side tells you everything about how wild this game was.
Kevin De Bruyne was the conductor for City, grabbing an assist and constantly threading impossible passes. But he drifted slightly as Liverpool’s midfield pressed harder in the last 20 minutes. On the flip side, Trent Alexander-Arnold had one of those rollercoaster nights: a crucial goal, some outrageous long passing, but also a few defensive heart-in-mouth moments when City targeted his flank.
For Liverpool, Diogo Jota gets instant cult-hero status. One chance, one perfect header, three points. Núñez ran the channels like a man possessed, even if his disallowed goal will sting. At the back, Virgil van Dijk had his hands full with Haaland but pulled off a couple of massive blocks late on that kept Liverpool alive.
What this does to the football league table
This result blows the title race wide open. Liverpool’s win drags them back into the thick of the fight at the top, while City suddenly look just a little more vulnerable than usual. With this swing, Liverpool leapfrog City in the standings and pile pressure on the rest of the pack chasing from behind.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
Every point at this stage feels like a final. This three-point swing could be the difference between a trophy parade and a summer of what-ifs.
Elsewhere in the Champions League chase
While Anfield stole the spotlight, the Champions League news angle is massive too. With Liverpool taking down City, the scramble for top-four spots becomes even nastier. Teams sitting just outside those places know that one bad weekend can wreck everything. Strikers across the league joined the list of top scorers today, but none stole the show quite like Salah and Haaland.
In another key clash, Arsenal picked up a crucial win with goals from Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka, tightening their grip on a Champions League berth and turning up the heat on everyone around them in the football league table. No crazy VAR meltdown there – just a clean, efficient performance that will quietly matter a lot come May.
The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans raging and laughing over the VAR offside and that last-minute Jota winner
Reporter's take: this felt like a statement
In my opinion, this was more than just three points. This was Liverpool standing up to the league's machine and yelling, "We're not going anywhere." The energy, the aggression, the bravery to keep pushing even after the Núñez goal was ruled out – that’s what title contenders look like.
On the other side, City looked… human. Still brilliant, still terrifying in flashes, but not untouchable. If Pep Guardiola is honest, he’ll be furious about how easily his team allowed Salah to dictate the game late on, and how they let Jota sneak between defenders for the killer header.
This felt like a turning point night – not just another thriller, but the kind of match you look back on when you’re lifting a trophy or wondering where it all slipped away.
What next?
The fixtures are coming fast, legs are getting heavy, and the margin for error is shrinking. Every goal by the big stars – whether it’s Haaland, Salah, Mbappé in Europe, or Bellingham running midfields in Spain – now carries that extra weight. Football results today aren’t just numbers; they’re pressure points in a season that’s about to go into overdrive.
Don’t lose track of the bigger picture. The standings are shifting, the narratives are forming, and tonight’s chaos at Anfield will echo through the rest of the campaign.
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