Liverpool v Man City live thriller: Salah & Haaland shake up title race

Liverpool edge a wild one over Man City as Salah and Haaland trade blows – but one late twist has the title race and social media on fire.

Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-19, the pitch is on fire... Did you catch that insane clash at Anfield? If you love soccer games with chaos, world-class finishing and pure drama, Liverpool v Manchester City just delivered a blockbuster that's going to echo through the Premier League live title race for weeks.

Liverpool 3–2 Manchester City: Salah vs Haaland, and a late twist

This one started at 100 mph and somehow kept getting faster. Manchester City drew first blood when Erling Haaland did exactly what Erling Haaland does – ghosted between the centre-backs and powered home a bullet header from a Kevin De Bruyne whipped cross. 0–1, City, ruthless as ever.

Anfield didn't even have time to inhale before Liverpool hit back. Mohamed Salah sparked the comeback, darting in from the right, combining with Darwin Núñez in a slick one-two before smashing a left-foot rocket into the far corner. 1–1, and the Kop absolutely exploded.

Liverpool kept pushing. On 37 minutes, it was Núñez's turn on the scoresheet. Trent Alexander-Arnold delivered one of those trademark teasing crosses, City's line hesitated for half a second, and Núñez flew in between Rúben Dias and John Stones to glance a header past Ederson. 2–1 and Anfield smelled blood.

But you never put this City side away easily. Right after the break, Haaland struck again. A quick counter, De Bruyne driving straight at the heart of the defence, slipped pass into Haaland's stride and the Norwegian hitman drilled it low across Alisson into the bottom corner. 2–2 – and suddenly it felt like classic heavyweight trading of haymakers.

Salah the hero, VAR the villain (depending who you ask)

The decisive moment came late. 84th minute, Anfield tense, both sides on the edge. Núñez spun in behind and was clipped by Dias right on the edge of the area. At first glance, the referee pointed to the spot – pure chaos, City players surrounding the official, Liverpool fans losing their minds.

VAR stepped in. We got the full drama: slow-mo angles, lines drawn, replays of the initial contact. After a long check, the penalty stood. City fans are fuming, Liverpool fans are screaming "clear contact" – and social media is already a battlefield over that call.

Mohamed Salah stepped up, shoulders loose, completely ice cold. Run-up, short stutter, sent Ederson the wrong way and rolled it into the corner for 3–2. That's Salah at his ruthless best – big moment, high pressure, absolutely no doubts. City pushed, De Bruyne curled one just over, and Haaland flashed a header wide in stoppage time, but Liverpool clung on.

Heroes, flops and everyone in between

• Mohamed Salah: Two goals, endless movement, and a constant nightmare for City's back line. This was vintage Salah – direct, hungry, and clinical when it mattered most. Absolute world-class.
• Erling Haaland: Bags a brace away at Anfield and still walks off on the losing side. He bullied defenders, timed his runs perfectly and did everything you want from your No. 9. If City miss out on the title, it won't be because of him.
• Kevin De Bruyne: Two assists, controlled huge chunks of the game, but he faded slightly in the final 15 minutes when City needed just one more killer ball. Still, his chemistry with Haaland is terrifying.
• Trent Alexander-Arnold: Sublime going forward, bagged that crucial assist for Núñez, but he had his hands full tracking Haaland's movements and City's rotations down his flank. High-risk, high-reward performance.
• Rúben Dias: Rock solid for large parts, but the penalty incident will define his night. He hesitated for a split second, got tight at the wrong moment, and that tiny misstep turned into the game's most controversial decision.

What this does to the Premier League table

With this win, Liverpool don't just take three points – they make a massive statement in the title race. City, who came in with momentum, suddenly look just a little vulnerable, especially away from home against the big guns. Liverpool leapfrog City in the football league table, putting pressure on every other contender heading into the weekend.

If you're tracking top scorers today, Salah and Haaland both padded their stats in this one, and the Golden Boot race is just as spicy as the title fight. Every goal matters now, every tiny slip-up can flip the whole script.

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

Champions League news & wider picture

This result doesn't live in a vacuum. With Champions League news swirling and knockout ties on the horizon, both of these squads are juggling intense schedules. Liverpool needed this psychological edge badly before diving back into Europe – confidence in the camp, energy from the stands, and Salah looking razor sharp is exactly what Jürgen Klopp will have wanted.

For City, Pep Guardiola now has questions to answer. Not about Haaland or De Bruyne – those two were electric – but about how often this team can keep pulling themselves back from tricky away games. The rotation choices, the defensive line height, and how he manages his full-backs against elite wingers will be under the microscope in both domestic and European games.

Social Media Spotlight: Fans lose it over late VAR call

The second that penalty decision was confirmed, the internet went nuclear. Clips of the contact angle, freeze-frames of the exact point of impact, and fan edits of the referee reaction are flooding every timeline. One side screaming "stonewall pen", the other yelling "robbery" – classic modern football theatre.

My take: statement win, worrying cracks

From a young reporter's seat, this felt like a classic "circle the date" kind of night. In my opinion, Liverpool just threw down a huge marker – not just because they beat City, but because their big names showed up exactly when the pressure peaked. Salah was unstoppable, Núñez looked like the chaos weapon Klopp always believed in, and the crowd turned every 50-50 into a 70-30.

City weren't bad – far from it. Haaland and De Bruyne were top tier, and on another night this ends 3–3 or even 3–4. But there are cracks: the back line looks uncomfortable when forced to defend deep and wide at the same time, and emotionally they still seem rattled when big away crowds crank the volume. For a team chasing every trophy, that's a flashing warning sign.

Manager-wise, no one's getting sacked off this, but the narrative shifts. Klopp gets the "master motivator" tag renewed, while Pep has to prove once again that his system can survive chaos as well as it controls games. In matches like this, the fine margins – a mistimed tackle, a VAR check, a missed header – are what separate champions from "what if" stories.

Closing whistle: title race just went turbo

If you're into live football drama, today was a feast. We got world-class finishing, huge personalities, a tidal wave of emotion and a VAR decision that people will still be arguing about tomorrow morning. The Premier League live title race just went from hot to absolutely boiling, and every upcoming round is going to feel like a final.

Want to see exactly how those three points reshaped the landscape, who climbed, who slipped, and how the Champions League spots are lining up? This is where the numbers tell the full story.

Check full stats & standings now

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@ ad-hoc-news.de