Liverpool vs Man City chaos! Anfield thriller shakes title race live

Liverpool edge Man City in a wild Anfield finish as Salah and Haaland trade blows – but one late strike and a big VAR call flip the title race on its head.

Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-03, the pitch is on fire... You wanted football results today? You got absolute madness. Anfield just hosted a Premier League blockbuster as Liverpool beat Manchester City 3-2 in a game that had everything: Mohamed Salah vs Erling Haaland, screamers, a huge VAR check, and a last?minute winner that could define the season.

Liverpool 3-2 Manchester City – Salah vs Haaland, and then pure chaos

This was supposed to be a tactical chess match. Instead, it turned into a full?blown street fight between two of the most stacked teams on the planet. The football results today headline is simple: Liverpool 3, Man City 2 – but that barely scratches the surface.

City landed the first punch. On 18 minutes, Erling Haaland did exactly what Erling Haaland does. Kevin De Bruyne slid a perfectly weighted pass between the lines, Haaland bullied his marker off the ball and drilled a low left?footer into the far corner. 1-0 City, and Anfield went dead silent for a second.

Liverpool answered fast. On 31 minutes, Darwin Núñez dragged City's centre-backs deep with a darting run, laid it off to Mohamed Salah at the edge of the box, and Salah curled a trademark left?footed shot beyond Ederson into the top corner. Vintage Salah, 1-1, and the place absolutely exploded.

Right before half-time, it got even spicier. From a Trent Alexander-Arnold corner, Virgil van Dijk rose above everyone and powered in a header on 44 minutes. Liverpool flipped the script to 2-1, and suddenly City were the ones wobbling.

Second-half drama: Haaland again, VAR chaos, and a last?minute hero

Pep Guardiola's side came out angry. On 56 minutes, City combined down the left with Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden, Foden drilled a low cross into the six-yard box, and who else but Erling Haaland tapped home his second of the game. 2-2, Haaland on a brace, and the Golden Boot narrative still fully alive.

Then came the moment everyone is arguing about online. On 73 minutes, Liverpool thought they had gone 3-2 up when Diogo Jota turned in a loose ball after Núñez's shot was parried. Wild celebrations, flares in the Kop – and then the dreaded VAR check.

After a long replay delay, VAR ruled Núñez marginally offside in the build-up. Goal disallowed. City fans roaring online, Liverpool fans absolutely raging. The crowd turned the volume up to eleven and the game went into chaos mode.

In stoppage time, though, Liverpool got the last word. In the 92nd minute, Trent switched play with a raking diagonal to Luis Díaz, Díaz cut inside Walker and unleashed a shot that Ederson spilled into the danger area. The rebound fell to Dominik Szoboszlai, who smashed it first time into the roof of the net. 3-2 Liverpool, Anfield shaking, Guardiola on his knees. That's your match-winner: Szoboszlai, the hero under the lights.

Big names report card: Heroes and flops

• Mohamed Salah: One massive goal, constant threat cutting in from the right, and easily Liverpool's attacking heartbeat. When the game got chaotic, he stayed ice-cold.
• Erling Haaland: Two clinical finishes, a constant bully to the back line. He did his job completely – if anyone at City escapes criticism, it's Haaland.
• Kevin De Bruyne: Sublime assist for the opener, but faded as Liverpool's press intensified. Not a flop, but not the dominant closer City needed late on.
• Virgil van Dijk: Immense in both boxes. Scored a crucial header and made a massive block on Haaland in the second half. Real captain's performance.
• Trent Alexander-Arnold: Exposed a couple of times defensively by Foden, but his vision changed the game with that late switch to Díaz before the winner.

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

This result hits the top of the table like a thunderbolt. Liverpool's win pulls them right into the thick of the title race, while City suddenly look human again after weeks of machine?like consistency. Arsenal and the chasing pack will be watching this one back on loop, knowing points can be taken off the champions.

With three points to Liverpool, the gap at the top shrinks and the pressure on City's next fixture skyrockets. Rotation, squad depth, fixture congestion – it all gets louder now. This one isn't just a highlight for the football results today; it's a pivot point for the whole season.

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

Elsewhere in Europe – quickfire round-up

While Anfield was stealing the show, the rest of Europe didn't exactly clock off either.

• La Liga: Real Madrid edged a tight one thanks to a late strike from Jude Bellingham, who once again turned up in the clutch. He picked up the ball on the edge of the box, danced past a defender and fired low into the corner. Another match-winner to the Bellingham highlight reel.
• Ligue 1: Over in Paris, Kylian Mbappé netted a brace – one from the spot, one absolute rocket from distance – as PSG cruised to a comfortable win, underlining again why he's still the league's most terrifying forward.
• Champions League race: Across the big leagues, top-four hopefuls scrapped for points that could be massive when UEFA spots are handed out. Every draw, every late winner is shifting the projected football league table picture.

Social Media Spotlight – fans lose it over VAR and Szoboszlai's winner

As soon as VAR chalked off Jota's goal, the timeline went nuclear. From ex-pros to regular fans, everyone had an angle. Was the offside line too harsh? Is VAR killing vibes? And then Szoboszlai pulled the trigger and the conversation flipped instantly into "Anfield magic" mode.

My take: this felt like a statement, not just a win

Let's be real: this didn't look like a City collapse, it looked like a Liverpool side that just refused to back down. In my opinion, this is one of those "season bookmark" nights. You'll look back and say: that's when Liverpool proved they're not just hanging around for a top?four fight, they're here to swing at the crown.

For City, there are some uncomfortable questions. The defence looked rattled by Núñez's chaos runs and Salah's movement, and once Anfield smelled blood, they didn't really have a second gear to shut the game down. Guardiola might have to rethink his rotation and in-game management in these high?tempo away games.

From a neutral point of view, though? This is exactly why you watch live football. The big stars on the pitch, Premier League live tension, a brutal VAR twist, and then one moment of magic to settle it. Pure drama, pure adrenaline.

Closing whistle: title race wide open

If you're just catching up on the football results today, here's the headline: Liverpool landed a heavyweight punch on Manchester City, Bellingham and Mbappé did superstar things elsewhere, and the top of Europe's biggest leagues just got a whole lot tighter.

Don't just read the scoreline – feel the impact on the table and the Champions League spots. It's going to be a wild run?in from here.

Check full stats & standings now

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