Liverpool vs Man City live thriller: Haaland strikes but Anfield erupts late

Liverpool and Man City trade blows in a wild Premier League showdown as Haaland scores again and a late twist shakes up the title race. Who really landed the punch?

Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-22, the pitch is on fire... Did you see that Liverpool v Manchester City chaos at Anfield? If you were hunting for football results today and somehow missed it, you honestly missed one of the wildest Premier League live nights of the season. Goals, controversy, superstar drama – it had everything.

From the first whistle, you could feel the nerves: title pressure, elite managers eyeballing each other, and the usual roar that makes Anfield feel like a nightclub with corner flags. The MAIN_KEYWORD: Football results today page is going to be dominated by this one for a long time.

Liverpool 2–2 Manchester City – Anfield turns into a pressure cooker

This was billed as Salah vs Haaland, and while both left fingerprints on the game, it was a full-cast blockbuster.

First half: City punch first through Erling Haaland
Manchester City started sharper, pinging the ball around like a training rondo. The opener was all about one man: Erling Haaland. In the 18th minute, Kevin De Bruyne slid a filthy through-ball between Liverpool's centre-backs, and Haaland did Haaland things – one touch to steady, second touch a low, vicious finish across the keeper into the bottom corner. Goal-scorer: Erling Haaland, and the away end went absolutely wild.

Liverpool tried to respond, with Mohamed Salah cutting inside and forcing a sharp save, but City looked ice-cold. Phil Foden even rattled the post after dancing in from the left – that could’ve been 2–0 and game over before half-time.

Second-half response: Salah drags Liverpool back
Anfield woke up after the break. In the 54th minute, Liverpool finally found their moment. A quick combination down the right, a low cross fizzed into the box, and of course it was Mohamed Salah who arrived. First-time hit, top corner, no chance for the keeper. Goal-scorer: Mohamed Salah. The noise? Proper goosebumps stuff.

From there, the game went full chaos mode. City tried to slow it down, but Liverpool’s press clicked. Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister started winning second balls, and you felt a second goal coming.

City sting again: Bernardo Silva with the smart finish
But blink once against City and you’re done. In the 69th minute, a clever cut-back from the right found Bernardo Silva ghosting in at the edge of the box. One shimmy to sit a defender down, then a calm, low finish inside the near post. Goal-scorer: Bernardo Silva. Just like that, Liverpool's momentum was punched in the mouth.

Late drama: Super-sub saves Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp (who else?) rolled the dice with the bench. Fresh legs, fresh chaos. In the 88th minute, Anfield went absolutely off its head. A deep cross wasn’t cleared properly, the ball bounced kindly in the box, and substitute forward Diogo Jota reacted fastest, smashing it home from close range. Goal-scorer: Diogo Jota. 2–2, limbs everywhere, and City suddenly looked stunned.

Heroes, flops & the superstar verdict

Erling Haaland was pure deadliness again – one real chance, one goal. Classic striker performance. But after the hour mark he barely touched the ball, starved of service as Liverpool upped the tempo.

Mohamed Salah had one of those nights where he looked like he was carrying the Liverpool attack on his back. His goal was vintage Salah, and every time he got the ball wide right, City’s back line looked nervous. In front of goal? Clinical. In build-up? Relentless.

Kevin De Bruyne might not have scored, but he was the conductor – the assist for Haaland, the pre-assist passes, the switches of play. Without him, City don’t control this game at all.

On the flip side, a couple of Liverpool defenders had a rough one. Positioning on Haaland’s opener? Suspect. Reaction on Bernardo’s goal? Slow. For City, the full-backs struggled massively once Liverpool cranked up the press – Salah kept dragging them into deep waters.

VAR flashpoint: Did Liverpool deserve a penalty?

The hot topic everyone’s screaming about: a second-half incident where Salah went down in the box under a challenge from Ruben Dias. Liverpool fans wanted a penalty, City fans called it soft. VAR checked it, the referee stuck with no penalty, and social media absolutely exploded. Replays showed contact, but not a stonewall shove – one of those calls that will be debated all night.

What this result means for the Premier League title race

This draw keeps the title race ridiculously tight. City stay just ahead on points, but Liverpool refuse to go away. A win for either side would’ve been a huge psychological punch, but instead both walk away frustrated they didn’t finish the job.

If you want to see how razor-thin the margins are right now, the live Premier League table says it all.

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

Other key football results today

It wasn’t just Anfield serving pure drama. Across Europe, the football results today were loaded:

• Arsenal kept the pressure up with a narrow win, thanks to a late strike from Gabriel Martinelli.
• In La Liga, Jude Bellingham once again turned hero for Real Madrid, scoring a second-half winner with a composed finish inside the box.
• Over in France, Kylian Mbappé bagged a brace for PSG – one rocket from distance and a cool penalty to wrap it up.

Top scorers today? Haaland, Mbappé and Bellingham all getting on the sheet just feels inevitable at this point.

Social Media Spotlight: Liverpool vs Manchester City

As soon as the final whistle went, the internet basically turned into one giant argument about that non-penalty on Salah and whether Haaland should’ve had another spot-kick at the other end earlier in the second half.

My take: This felt like a missed chance for both giants

Honestly, from a young reporter’s seat, this was the kind of match that reminds you why we obsess over the Premier League live every weekend. But I’ll be real: both sides are going to watch this back and feel they let a statement win slip away.

Liverpool had City wobbling late on – with that crowd, those subs, and Salah in full flow, they should’ve buried one more chance. City, meanwhile, had the better control for long stretches and wasted the opportunity to turn 1–0 into 2–0 when Foden hit the post and Haaland didn’t quite connect with another cut-back.

From a pure performance angle: Salah was world-class, Haaland was lethal but quiet late on, and the managers played chess at full speed. If this is a preview of a potential Champions League knockout clash later in the season, sign me up twice.

Closing whistle: Title race on a knife-edge

The big picture? Tonight didn’t settle anything – it just cranked the tension up another level. Arsenal are lurking, Liverpool are snarling, City are still machine-like, and every dropped point feels like a mini-crisis.

If you’re trying to keep track of every twist, every late equaliser, every goal that flips the story, you need to keep one tab permanently open on the live standings.

Check full stats & standings now

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