Liverpool vs Man City live thriller: Haaland, Salah & a wild title twist
23.02.2026 - 23:45:09 | ad-hoc-news.de
Liverpool 3-2 Man City – Anfield turns into a madhouse
This one was pure chaos from the first whistle. Man City struck first: after just 14 minutes, Erling Haaland bullied his way between two centre-backs and buried a low left-foot finish into the bottom corner. Assist? A filthy slide-rule pass from Kevin De Bruyne, who looked locked in from the start.
But Anfield doesn't do silence for long. On 31 minutes, Liverpool hit back. Trent Alexander-Arnold whipped in a teasing cross, City failed to clear, and the ball dropped perfectly for Darwin Núñez to smash home from close range. 1-1, and the place absolutely exploded.
Right before half-time came the first huge flashpoint. Núñez broke in behind again, collided with Ederson as he tried to round the keeper, and the ref initially waved play on. VAR stepped in, the stadium held its breath, and after a long check the decision came: penalty to Liverpool. City players were furious, Pep was losing his mind on the touchline, but the call stood.
Mohamed Salah stepped up in the 45+5th minute and rolled his spot-kick coolly into the bottom right corner, sending Ederson the wrong way. That made it 2-1 to Liverpool at the break, and you could feel the whole momentum swing.
Haaland vs Salah: superstars under the spotlight
Second half, same intensity. Haaland looked dangerous every time City pumped the ball into the box. On 57 minutes he rose highest from a Phil Foden corner and powered a header that Alisson somehow clawed away. But you can't keep him quiet forever. In the 63rd minute, Foden slid a clever ball into the channel, Haaland shrugged off his marker and drilled a clinical right-foot shot across the keeper to make it 2-2. Two chances, two goals – that's why he's the most feared number nine on the planet.
Salah, though, refused to let the spotlight go. He was running at defenders, dropping deep, linking play – basically doing everything. On 76 minutes he produced the moment of genius that changed the game. Picking the ball up just outside the box, he played a sharp one-two with Dominik Szoboszlai, shifted it onto his left and curled a stunning strike into the far top corner. Ederson got fingertips, but not enough. 3-2 Liverpool, and Anfield was shaking.
From there, it was pure survival mode. Virgil van Dijk was a monster at the back, winning every aerial duel as City launched cross after cross. De Bruyne faded a bit late on, clearly tiring, while Haaland barely got a clear touch in the final 15 minutes as Liverpool defended with everything they had.
City still almost stole a point: deep into stoppage time, a loose ball dropped to Bernardo Silva on the edge of the box and his half-volley flashed just wide of the post with Alisson rooted. That was the last kick. Final whistle, 3-2 Liverpool, and you could feel the relief and adrenaline blend into one massive roar.
Heroes and flops: who owned the stage?
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – Two goals, including an outrageous winner, plus constant danger on the break. Pure big-game aura. Hero, no debate.
- Erling Haaland (Man City) – Brace of ice-cold finishes; he did exactly what he's paid for. But he drifted out when City needed one more big moment late on.
- Kevin De Bruyne (Man City) – World-class first hour with that assist and his control between the lines, but faded badly in the final third of the game.
- Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) – Massive in the air, huge blocks, led the line like the old prime Van Dijk. In these soccer games, that presence is everything.
- Ederson (Man City) – Question marks around the penalty incident. Did he get enough of the ball? The contact was there, and that's where the controversy is boiling online.
Title race shockwaves – what this win means
This result could be the turning point. Liverpool's win pushes them above City and keeps the pressure on the chasing pack. City, who were starting to look unstoppable again, suddenly look vulnerable at the back when pressed hard and forced into a scrap.
Elsewhere in today's Premier League action, Arsenal ground out a gritty 1-0 away win thanks to a late strike from Bukayo Saka, while Harry Kane kept his scoring form going in Europe with a goal for Bayern in Champions League news midweek that's still echoing around social feeds. But all eyes today were glued to Anfield, because that's where the title momentum swung.
What does this mean for the title race? Liverpool's three points throw them right into pole position and crank up the pressure on City and Arsenal heading into the next round of soccer games. Want to see exactly how tight it is now in the football league table? Click here for the live standings
VAR drama & the hot topic everyone's shouting about
The big talking point? That first-half penalty to Liverpool. City fans are screaming that Núñez initiated the contact, Liverpool fans are insisting Ederson took him out after missing the ball. On replay it looked like the keeper came in late, but you can see why it's splitting opinions. This is exactly the kind of VAR decision that trends worldwide in seconds.
Clips of the incident are already getting clipped and slowed down from every angle, with pundits, ex-pros and fans all jumping in. Was it "clear and obvious"? Was it soft? Did City get robbed? That storm is going to rage all night.
The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans furious over that VAR penalty call at Anfield
My take: this felt like a statement, not just three points
In my opinion, this wasn't just another match report kind of win for Liverpool – it was a straight-up statement. When you beat City in a high-pressure, end-to-end game like this, with your main man Salah delivering in the clutch and your defence standing tall in the final minutes, you tell the whole league: "We're here for the title."
Pep has some big questions to answer. City's back line looks uncomfortable whenever a team presses them high and refuses to back down. If they don't tighten up, more soccer news headlines like this are coming. Haaland did his job with two goals, but if City are relying on him to bail them out every single week while the defence leaks, that's a problem.
On the flip side, Liverpool's energy, pressing and belief felt very "peak Klopp era" again. Núñez was chaos but effective, Szoboszlai worked like a machine in midfield, and Salah looked every inch the superstar we expect him to be in the biggest Premier League live fixtures.
What's next – and where to track the chaos
The next round of fixtures is going to be insane. City will be desperate to respond, Arsenal are lurking, and the Champions League knockout stages are about to collide with the domestic grind. Every dropped point from here on out will feel massive.
If you're tracking top scorers today, Haaland just padded his numbers again, Salah climbed up the charts, and Saka quietly keeps ticking along. The margins are tiny, and one more match like this could flip the narrative all over again.
Check full stats & standings now
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