Liverpool v Man City goes wild: Haaland shock, Salah drama & title race live
25.01.2026 - 21:42:53
The headline: Liverpool 2-1 Manchester City. Mohamed Salah and Darwin Núñez dragged Liverpool back from the brink after Kevin De Bruyne had given City the dream start. Erling Haaland? For once, the goal machine stayed silent – and thats the story everyone is screaming about.
Red storm at Anfield: Liverpool 2-1 Man City
From the first whistle, this felt different. City came out like a machine and got their reward early. In the 14th minute, Kevin De Bruyne arrived on the edge of the box and smashed a right-foot rocket into the top corner after a clever cut-back from Bernardo Silva. Alisson barely moved. 1-0 City, and you could hear a pin drop for half a second before the away end exploded.
But Liverpool didnt fold. They pressed higher, harder, and started to pin City back. Salah kept drifting inside to find pockets of space, and you could feel the equaliser coming. In the 38th minute, it finally did: Darwin Núñez bullied Rúben Dias to win a long ball, laid it off to Dominik Szoboszlai, who slipped a filthy reverse pass back into Núñez. One touch, low drive, bottom corner. 1-1, and Anfield went absolutely wild.
Second half? Pure adrenaline. City tried to reassert control, but this was not Haalands night. The big Norwegian had two massive chances: a close-range header on 52 minutes that he somehow nodded straight at Alisson, and then a one-on-one in the 67th minute after a gorgeous through ball from Phil Foden. Haaland opened his body, tried to pass it into the far corner – and dragged it wide. You could see the disbelief on his face. For a guy who usually eats these for breakfast, this was a rare off-day.
Salah takes over, VAR explodes
The turning point came in the 75th minute. Liverpool broke from a City corner, and suddenly it was chaos: Szoboszlai surged forward, released Luis Díaz down the left, and Díaz cut the ball back towards Salah arriving at the penalty spot. Before he could shoot, Joško Gvardiol came sliding in. The ball clipped his knee, then clearly hit his outstretched arm. Play continued for a few seconds, but the stadium was already screaming for handball.
VAR check. Long one. The ref jogs over to the monitor, stares at it for an age, then finally points to the spot. Penalty Liverpool. City players went ballistic, Pep Guardiola laughing in disbelief on the touchline.
Step up Mohamed Salah. 79th minute. Title race on the line. He stared down Ederson, stuttered in the run-up, and absolutely rifled the ball into the top-left corner. 2-1 Liverpool. Ederson guessed right but had no chance – the power on that strike was ridiculous.
From there it was pure survival mode. City threw everything forward. De Bruyne whipped in devilish crosses, Foden tried to wriggle through tight spaces, and in stoppage time John Stones thought hed leveled it with a header from a corner – only for Virgil van Dijk to clear it off the line. Goal-line tech said no goal by a couple of centimeters. Anfield erupted like theyd scored again.
Heroes & flops: Superstars under the spotlight
Mohamed Salah was the man. One ice-cold penalty, constant danger, clever link-up play – this was vintage Salah in a huge game. If Liverpool go on to win the league, people will point to this night as a defining moment.
Darwin Núñez deserves massive love too. His equaliser was all about strength and conviction, and his nonstop pressing absolutely rattled Citys back line. He might be chaos incarnate, but on nights like this, that chaos is priceless.
On the other side, Erling Haaland has to take some heat. Strikers can have off games, sure, but missing two big chances in a game of this magnitude is brutal. City live off his ruthless edge, and when that edge goes blunt, they suddenly look human.
Kevin De Bruyne was pure class for long spells, spraying passes everywhere and scoring that early thunderbolt, but even he faded under Liverpools relentless pressing late on. And defensively, City had no answer to the direct running of Núñez and Díaz, especially once Liverpools crowd really turned up the volume.
Title race twist: what this means for the table
This result is enormous. Liverpool not only take three points off their biggest rival, they also jump above City in the Premier League title race – at least for now. With so many tight soccer games this season, one head-to-head like this can be the difference between lifting the trophy and finishing second.
City now have to chase, and with their fixture list getting clogged by Champions League nights, theres no margin for error. Every draw suddenly feels like a defeat. Every away game turns into a mini-final.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
Social Media Spotlight: the world reacts
Online, its absolute carnage right now. One topic is dominating: that VAR handball decision against Gvardiol for Salahs winning penalty. Depending on who you support, its either stonewall or corruption .
The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans raging over the late VAR handball call and Salahs winning penalty
Search #LIVMCI and youll see it all: City fans posting screenshots of the handball freeze-frame, Liverpool fans sharing Salahs celebration on loop, neutrals arguing about what the law even is anymore. Classic modern football chaos.
On Instagram, Liverpools official account is already spamming the feed with Salah smiling in front of the Kop, Núñez screaming into the camera, and van Dijk hugging literally everyone in sight. The comments are a mix of Title charge is ON and Never in doubt. Sure.
On YouTube, highlight reels from the official Premier League channel and broadcasters like Sky Sports Football are popping off. That De Bruyne strike, Núñezs leveller, Salahs penalty, and van Dijks goal-line clearance – this is the kind of game people will rewatch for weeks.
My take: this felt like a statement
In my opinion, this wasnt just another big game – it was a straight-up statement from Liverpool. They went toe-to-toe with City, took the punches, and still found a way to win. Thats what title winners do.
From a tactical point of view, Jürgen Klopp (or whoevers in that hot seat right now) got it spot on: aggressive pressing on Citys build-up, brave line against Haaland, and full commitment to transitions. It wasnt perfect, but it was brave – and bravery wins these kinds of nights.
For Pep, there are serious questions. Why did City look so fragile under pressure? Why was Haaland so isolated for long stretches? And how do you fix that quickly with Champions League clashes coming up? This isnt a meltdown moment for City, but its definitely a warning siren.
Emotionally, this felt like one of those matches people reference at the end of the season: That night at Anfield, thats when the tide turned. Of course, the Premier League has a way of making everyone look stupid a week later, but right now, Liverpool have the momentum and the swagger.
Whats next?
For neutrals, this is everything you want from top-level soccer games: world-class players, big drama, controversial decisions, and real stakes in the football league table. For Liverpool and City fans, this is going to live rent-free in their heads for a long time.
The only thing thats certain? The title race just got way more fun.
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