Liverpool vs Man City chaos: Anfield thriller shakes title race live
03.02.2026 - 00:56:12
Liverpool 3–2 Man City – Salah delivers, Haaland disappears
If you missed this one, cancel your evening plans and dive into the highlights. From minute one it felt like a Champions League knockout tie squeezed into a league game.
Manchester City actually struck first. On 14 minutes, Kevin De Bruyne reminded everyone why he's still the king of the killer ball. He slipped a filthy pass between the lines, sending Erling Haaland through. Haaland didn't even think twice – one touch out of his feet, second touch laced low into the bottom corner for 0–1. Classic Haaland… or so we thought.
But Liverpool reacted like a team that refused to be bullied. On 27 minutes, Mohamed Salah dragged them back. Darwin Núñez bullied City's centre-backs to win a loose ball, it broke to Salah on the right edge. He chopped inside onto that left foot and curled a shot that clipped the inside of the post and went in. 1–1, Anfield erupted, and suddenly you felt the whole game flip.
The turnaround was complete on 41 minutes. From a Liverpool corner, City failed to clear properly. The ball dropped near the edge of the box and Alexis Mac Allister just absolutely leathered it first time. The strike took a tiny deflection off Rúben Dias, wrong-footed the keeper and flew into the top corner. 2–1 Liverpool, and City looked rattled for the first time all night.
VAR chaos and a controversial equaliser
The second half went full drama. On 56 minutes, City thought they'd levelled. De Bruyne's corner was flicked on by John Stones and bundled in at the back post by Phil Foden. Liverpool players were straight in the ref's face, screaming handball. VAR took an age – checking a possible handball by Stones, then an offside on Foden. Eventually, the goal stood: 2–2, officially credited to Phil Foden, and the boos from the Kop told you everything about how they felt.
That VAR call is the No.1 hot topic tonight – clips are all over X/Twitter, fans are freeze-framing every angle and absolutely losing it in the comments.
Salah the hero with ice in his veins
But the last word belonged to Salah. On 78 minutes, Liverpool broke at speed. Núñez was shoved in the box by Joško Gvardiol just as he was about to pull the trigger. The ref initially waved play on, but VAR told him to go to the screen. After another nervous wait, the penalty was given.
Who else steps up but Mohamed Salah? He waited, stared the keeper down, then rolled the ball into the bottom corner as the keeper dived the wrong way. 3–2 Liverpool, Salah's second of the night, and Anfield absolutely melted. Corner flags flying, players sprinting to the touchline, Klopp (or his successor on the touchline) going wild in the technical area.
Stars report card: Salah world-class, Haaland human
- Mohamed Salah: Two goals, endless pressing, dragged Liverpool forward every time they needed him. Hero status locked in again.
- Erling Haaland: Opened the scoring with a ruthless finish but faded badly. Missed a huge chance late on when he headed wide from close range. By his standards, he flopped in the big final stretch.
- Kevin De Bruyne: Two key passes for major chances, including the assist for Haaland. Still the brain of City’s attack, but even he couldn’t completely unlock a fired-up Liverpool press in the second half.
- Virgil van Dijk: Shaky early on against Haaland’s movement, but rock solid once Liverpool turned the tide. Won every aerial duel in the final 20 minutes.
Title race flipped – what this means for the table
This result hits the football league table like a grenade. With Liverpool taking all three points, they leapfrog City in the standings and crank the pressure on the rest of the chasing pack. City, who could have created daylight at the top, instead find themselves staring over their shoulder – and the talk is already about whether this was the night the momentum shifted.
Arsenal and the other contenders will have watched every kick, praying for a draw and getting the one result they really didn't want if they're chasing Liverpool. Every single matchday from here looks like a mini-final now.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
Elsewhere in Europe – quickfire round-up
Across the rest of Europe, the Champions League news vibes were strong even in domestic games. In Spain, Jude Bellingham kept his superstar aura alive with a late goal for Real Madrid, curling in from the edge of the area after a one-two with Vinícius Júnior. In France, Kylian Mbappé added another to his season tally with a trademark blistering run and low finish for PSG, terrorising defenders like it was a training session.
Those goals won't dominate English headlines like Salah vs Haaland tonight, but when we talk top scorers today across Europe, you can bet their names stay right near the top of that list.
The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans fuming and debating that VAR decision on Foden's goal
My take: this felt like a statement, not just a win
From a young reporter's seat, this wasn't just another big-game W for Liverpool – it felt like a full-on statement to the rest of the league. The intensity, the press, the way Salah just decided, "Yeah, this is my night" – that's what title-winning performances look like.
On the flip side, City looked… human. When Haaland started drifting wide for touches instead of living between the posts, you knew Liverpool had got inside his head. In my opinion, Pep will be furious not only with the defending but with how his team lost control of the midfield battle once Mac Allister and Szoboszlai ramped up the tempo.
Managers always talk about "fine margins," but tonight those margins were spelled out in all caps: Salah clinical, Haaland wasteful late on, VAR call just about going City's way on Foden's goal – and yet they still walk away empty-handed. That's the type of night that sticks in your head when you look back at where a title was won or lost.
What's next?
The schedule doesn't ease up. The next round of fixtures is already looming, and with every dropped point now magnified, the energy around every Premier League live match will only spike more. Add in looming Champions League knockout ties, and the pressure on star names like Salah, Haaland, Bellingham and Mbappé is about to hit boiling point.
If you're tracking football results today to figure out who really has the edge in this marathon, this Liverpool vs City classic is going to be a huge reference point. Momentum, belief, noise – Liverpool grabbed all three, City walk away with questions.
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