Liverpool v Man City live thriller: Haaland, Salah & late drama rock title race
23.02.2026 - 10:11:12 | ad-hoc-news.de
Liverpool 2–2 Manchester City – Heavyweight clash, heavyweight chaos
This was pure chaos from the first whistle. Manchester City struck first, and of course it was Erling Haaland. On 18 minutes, Kevin De Bruyne – back in full puppet-master mode – slid a filthy through ball between Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté. Haaland bullied his way inside the box and smashed a low left?footer past Alisson. Goal machine doing goal machine things.
Liverpool answered just before half-time. On 41 minutes, Mohamed Salah picked up the ball on the right, danced past Nathan Aké, cut inside and curled a trademark left-foot strike into the far corner. Ederson got a glove on it, but the power was unreal. Anfield exploded, and suddenly all those football results today lists had a new contender for goal of the day.
Second half? Absolute mayhem. City went 2–1 up on 62 minutes when De Bruyne whipped in a wicked corner and Rúben Dias powered home a header from six yards. Liverpool screamed for a foul on Konaté in the box, VAR checked for a push, but the goal stood. Cue instant social meltdown.
Jürgen Klopp rolled the dice, throwing on Darwin Núñez and Luis Díaz, and the pressure finally broke Pep Guardiola’s side. On 81 minutes, Núñez chased what looked like a lost ball, nicked it ahead of Ederson, and the keeper clattered into him. PENALTY. City players surrounded the ref, VAR took an age, angles flying everywhere, but the decision didn’t change.
Who else steps up but Salah? 84th minute, Anfield holding its breath… he coolly sends Ederson the wrong way, slotting into the bottom right. Mohamed Salah again. 2–2 and the stadium went off like a rocket. That’s a brace for the Egyptian king in one of the most-watched clashes in world football.
Stars under the spotlight: heroes & almost-villains
- Erling Haaland – Clinical as ever with his first-half strike, constantly bullying Liverpool’s back line. But he’ll be gutted he didn’t win it late: in stoppage time he skied a huge chance from eight yards after a cutback from Phil Foden. For his standards, that’s a sitter.
- Mohamed Salah – Two massive goals, endless running, forever dragging City’s defence around. This was one of those nights where he looked absolutely unplayable. Proper big-game player performance.
- Kevin De Bruyne – Two goal contributions: the assist for Haaland and the corner for Dias. Faded slightly in the last 15 minutes as Liverpool turned the screw, but when he’s on the ball, the whole stadium panics.
- Virgil van Dijk – Beaten a couple of times by Haaland’s movement but still made two huge blocks in the second half. Not flawless, but without him Liverpool might easily have conceded four.
There was one more flashpoint. In the 90th minute, Díaz burst into the box and went down under a challenge from Kyle Walker. Anfield screamed for another penalty, but the ref waved play on and VAR stayed with the on-field call. That non-call is exactly what fans are losing their minds over online right now.
Title race tension – where does this 2–2 leave everyone?
This draw feels like both a missed chance and a massive escape. For Liverpool, coming from behind twice sends a message that they’re absolutely still in this fight. For City, dropping points after leading twice could haunt them when we hit the final stretch.
At the top, it tightens everything. City stay right up there, but Liverpool refuse to go away. Arsenal and the rest of the chasing pack are watching this football league table like hawks because every dropped point in these monster head?to?heads can swing the entire season.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
Elsewhere in Europe: Champions League chasers and goal machines
While Anfield was stealing the headlines, the rest of Europe wasn’t exactly sleeping. Over in Spain, Real Madrid kept their momentum in La Liga with another strong night from Jude Bellingham. He didn’t get on the scoresheet this time, but he was heavily involved in the build?up as Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo handled the goals. Bellingham’s driving runs from midfield are basically cheat codes at this point, and every neutral is already eyeing the next round of Champions League news to see who Madrid will terrorise next.
In France, Kylian Mbappé did what Mbappé does – on the scoresheet again with a blistering counterattack goal, plus an assist. Defenders know exactly what’s coming and still can’t stop it. His pace on the break is just different. With form like this, you can bet every big club and every headline is going to link him with another super-move once the European nights roll back around.
Between Haaland smashing them in, Salah carrying Liverpool, Bellingham orchestrating Madrid and Mbappé running riot, the list of top scorers today reads like a future Ballon d’Or shortlist. It’s a ridiculous era to be watching football.
Social Media Spotlight – VAR rage, Salah love, Haaland memes
The online reaction to Liverpool v Man City is exactly what you’d expect: absolute chaos. The hot topic isn’t even one of the goals – it’s that late penalty shout on Luis Díaz and the earlier VAR call on Rúben Dias’ header. One half of the internet is shouting "robbery", the other half is yelling "soft". Neutral fans? They’re just vibing on the drama with popcorn.
The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans furious over the late VAR non-call on Luis Díaz
Reporter's take: this rivalry is carrying the season
Let’s be real: this fixture is basically football’s main character right now. Every time Liverpool and Manchester City collide, the quality, the intensity, the storylines – it’s all elite. Tonight was no different. In my opinion, neither manager will be happy, but neither can really complain.
From a Liverpool point of view, you can’t keep going behind in these monster games and expecting Salah to bail you out every time. At some point, the defending has to tighten up. For City, if Haaland is only getting one huge chance in the last 20 minutes, something’s off with the usual ruthless control we’re used to from a Guardiola side.
Still, as a spectacle? Absolute madness. This is the kind of game that reminds you why you obsess over live scores, why you spam-refresh apps for football results today, why you dive into every match report and rant thread after full-time. It’s drama, it’s tension, it’s what top?level football is supposed to feel like.
Final whistle: what's next?
The draw keeps both clubs right in the mix, but it also hands a small opportunity to anyone just behind them in the table. One slip in the next round of fixtures, and the title conversation flips again. That's why the live table is must?see right now – every point, every goal difference edge, every game in hand matters.
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.
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