Liverpool stun Man City in late drama as Haaland misfires – Premier League live

Liverpool edge Man City in a thriller, Salah delivers, Haaland blanks, and the title race explodes. You won’t believe the late twist and VAR drama.

Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-23, the pitch is on fire... The football results today in the Premier League just blew the title race wide open. At Anfield, Liverpool took down Manchester City in a wild 2-1 showdown that had everything: Mo Salah composure, a shock Haaland miss, and a nerve-shredding VAR check in stoppage time. If you blinked, you missed chaos.

Liverpool 2–1 Manchester City – Salah ice-cold, Haaland frustrated

This was billed as the game of the season, and it absolutely lived up to the hype. From the first whistle, the tempo was ridiculous. Liverpool pressed like their lives depended on it, City tried to calmly play out, and within 15 minutes we had our first big moment.

Liverpool struck first: after a sharp move down the right, Trent Alexander-Arnold fizzed a low cross into the box. Darwin Núñez darted to the near post, dragging defenders with him, and the ball popped loose to Mohamed Salah, who took one touch out of his feet and smashed it into the far corner. Goal: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), and Anfield absolutely exploded.

City, though, are never out of it. Just before half-time, Kevin De Bruyne reminded everyone why he9s still one of the most lethal playmakers on the planet. He drifted into the right half-space and clipped a wicked ball over the top. Erling Haaland muscled himself between the centre-backs, chested it down and laid it off to Phil Foden, who drilled a left-foot shot low into the bottom corner. Goal: Phil Foden (Manchester City), and suddenly it was 1–1 with the away end bouncing.

The second half was pure chaos. Salah kept targeting Josko Gvardiol, cutting inside and testing Ederson twice from range. On the other side, Haaland had the chance of the game: a De Bruyne cut-back found him unmarked six yards out, but he snatched at it and dragged the shot wide. You could feel the disbelief – this is the guy who normally eats those chances for breakfast.

Then came the moment that changed everything. In the 82nd minute, Liverpool broke from a City corner. Núñez sprinted the length of the pitch, slipped a pass into Luis Díaz, who chopped inside and saw his shot blocked. The rebound spilled out to Alexis Mac Allister at the edge of the box. He didn9t hesitate – one clean side-foot strike into the top corner. Goal: Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), and the stadium went into orbit.

But we weren9t done. Deep into stoppage time, the ball bounced awkwardly in the Liverpool box and struck Virgil van Dijk on the arm. City screamed for a penalty, the referee pointed to the spot, and Twitter/X absolutely melted down. The VAR check felt like it took forever. In the end, the decision was overturned – deemed ball-to-hand with van Dijk9s arm in a natural position. City players surrounded the ref, Pep Guardiola was raging on the touchline, and Liverpool fans celebrated that VAR replay like a third goal.

Haaland walked off at full-time visibly annoyed – no goals, one huge miss, and barely a sniff after van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté tightened the screws. In contrast, Salah was pure star quality: one goal, constant danger, and the emotional heartbeat of Liverpool9s attack. On a night when the global spotlight was blinding, Salah looked born for it, Haaland looked human.

Title race reshaped – where does this leave the Premier League?

This win is massive for Liverpool. Those three points swing the momentum back towards Anfield and crank the pressure right up on City and the rest of the pack. City9s usually automatic attack suddenly looks a bit mortal when Haaland isn9t ruthless, and their back line can absolutely be rattled by intensity and pace.

Liverpool leapfrog City with this result, tightening the entire top of the table and turning every single fixture from now on into must-watch TV. City still have the firepower and experience, but tonight they looked rattled by Liverpool9s aggression and the Anfield atmosphere. For neutral fans, it9s perfect – the title race is chaos again.

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

Elsewhere in Europe – Bellingham and Mbappé light up the night

Across the continent, the football results today from the Champions League picture were just as wild. In Spain, Jude Bellingham once again stepped up for Real Madrid. With the game level, he ghosted into the box late, met a cross with a towering header, and buried the winner. Goal: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid). He9s not just a midfielder anymore; he9s Madrid9s clutch finisher, their go-to closer when the lights are brightest.

Over in France, Kylian Mbappé delivered another statement for PSG. He scored twice – first with a blistering breakaway finished low across the keeper, and then a curling right-foot strike into the top corner from the edge of the box. Goals: Kylian Mbappé (2, Paris Saint-Germain). With every performance like this, the Champions League news cycle just becomes one big Mbappé hype reel. Defenders know what he wants to do, and they still can9t stop it.

Top scorers today across Europe? Salah, Mbappé and Bellingham all put their fingerprints on the headline games, while Haaland had a rare off night. The contrast was brutal – some of the game9s biggest names rose to the occasion, one of its deadliest finishers didn9t.

League table pressure cooker

Back in England, the Premier League live table is now a full-on rollercoaster. Liverpool9s win nudges them ahead, City drop precious points, and the chasing pack will be licking their lips. Every win, every draw, every slip now has major consequences for the football league table and the Champions League spots.

Want to see exactly how tight it is now, who9s climbing, who9s crumbling, and who9s in danger of missing out on Europe?

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

Reporter9s take – bold calls and big questions

Here9s the honest truth: if you9re Manchester City, this feels like a punch to the gut. In my opinion, the way they managed the final 15 minutes was nowhere near title-winning level. They pushed up, left space in behind, and looked genuinely rattled every time Liverpool broke. Even with De Bruyne feeding him, Haaland looked a step off, and you can9t carry a misfiring striker in a game this big.

On the flip side, Liverpool were absolutely electric. Salah was world-class, Mac Allister looked like a big-game midfielder, and the Anfield crowd did half the work. This is exactly the kind of statement win that turns belief into pure conviction in a dressing room. Beat the champions, outfight them, outscore them – suddenly everyone in red feels unstoppable.

Zooming out, the wider soccer news tonight is all about the big names delivering when it matters. Bellingham and Mbappé keep writing their own scripts, Salah just reminded everyone he9s still one of the deadliest in the world, and the Champions League news cycle is now completely tied into this title race energy. Everything9s connected – form, confidence, momentum. Right now Liverpool have it, City need to find it fast.

Final whistle – what9s next?

So, where does that leave us? A title race on fire, a shaken City, a buzzing Liverpool, and Europe9s biggest stars all trying to peak at the same time. Every kick from here on out is going to feel like a final. If today is anything to go by, we9re in for a ridiculous run-in.

If you want the full context – who9s top, who9s chasing, who9s in the Champions League spots, and who9s under real pressure – you need to keep one eye on the live table while you relive all these goals and controversies.

Check full stats & standings now

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