Liverpool vs Man City live thriller: Haaland strikes but Anfield explodes late
08.02.2026 - 03:02:49
From the first whistle this felt different. City tried to suffocate Liverpool with those usual calm passing triangles, but Anfield’s noise level was off the charts. Inside 15 minutes, you could feel it: this wasn’t going to be a cagey chess match. This was a fist fight.
Liverpool 2–2 Manchester City: Haaland the machine, Salah the king
City struck first – and of course it was Erling Haaland. On 23 minutes, Kevin De Bruyne slid a filthy reverse pass between the lines, Haaland exploded into space, shrugged off Ibrahima Konaté, and buried a low right-footed finish into the far corner. Goalkeeper had no chance. That's Haaland’s killer instinct on full display.
Liverpool didn’t fold. On 37 minutes, they hit back in pure Anfield style. Trent Alexander-Arnold fizzed a diagonal into the box, Darwin Núñez battled for the second ball, it fell kindly, and Mohamed Salah did what Mohamed Salah does – one quick touch, then a left-foot rocket from just inside the area into the top corner. Salah leveled it at 1–1 and Anfield just erupted.
Second half, City came out sharper again. On 58 minutes, De Bruyne swung in a devilish free-kick, chaos in the area, and Rúben Dias powered a header home to make it 2–1 to City. For a moment, it felt like the champions-elect had things under control.
But Liverpool are never dead at Anfield. With the Kop sucking the ball towards the City end, the last 20 minutes were an avalanche. Mac Allister started dictating tempo, Luis Díaz went straight at Kyle Walker every time, and eventually the dam broke. On 82 minutes, Núñez peeled off into the left channel, whipped in a vicious low cross, and substitute Diogo Jota slid in at the near post to make it 2–2. Bodies flying, limbs everywhere, Anfield roaring like a jet engine.
Big names under the spotlight: heroes and near-flops
- Erling Haaland – Cold-blooded finish, constant threat. He bullied the center-backs at times, but faded a little once Liverpool turned the game chaotic. Still, a goal in a huge game keeps his Golden Boot charge alive.
- Mohamed Salah – That equaliser was vintage Salah. Touch, power, composure. He also dropped deep to help link play when Liverpool were chasing. When the game was on the line, he demanded the ball – that’s top-tier mentality.
- Kevin De Bruyne – Two decisive contributions: the assist for Haaland and the wicked delivery for Dias’ header. But he also lost one key ball late on that nearly led to a Liverpool winner. Genius with a tiny glitch.
- Alisson Becker – Not much he could do about either goal, but his distribution kept Liverpool alive. One brave claim late in stoppage time probably saved a City winner.
And yes, there was VAR drama – because of course there was. On 89 minutes, Liverpool thought they had the winner when Darwin Núñez bundled in from close range after a corner. Anfield went absolutely wild… for about 40 seconds. Then the VAR check graphic came up, and you could feel the mood flip. After a long delay, the goal was chalked off for a marginal offside in the buildup on Virgil van Dijk. The stadium howled, Jürgen Klopp laughed in disbelief on the touchline, and social media went instant meltdown.
Title race tremors: who really won this draw?
So where does this leave the title chase? City will feel they dropped two points after leading twice, especially with Arsenal lurking. Liverpool, on the other hand, will frame this as a statement of resilience and proof that Anfield still tilts big games.
Right now, the top of the Premier League is razor tight. With this 2–2 draw, City stay narrowly ahead on points, but Liverpool refuse to go away. Every goal, every tackle, every tiny VAR line feels like it matters double now. Arsenal fans were definitely watching this with popcorn, hoping for chaos – and they pretty much got exactly that.
What does this mean for the title race? Liverpool’s late equaliser keeps them just about in touching distance, while City’s frustration grows with every dropped point. To see exactly how this rollercoaster result reshapes the numbers, you need to check the live updated table:
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
Elsewhere in Europe: Bellingham and Mbappé keep flexing
While Anfield was exploding, the rest of Europe’s elite were busy adding their own highlight reels to today’s soccer games.
In La Liga, Jude Bellingham once again turned into Real Madrid’s clutch machine. Down 1–0 away to a stubborn mid-table side, Bellingham dragged Madrid back into it with a late surge into the box, finishing coolly to level at 1–1. Then, in stoppage time, he slipped a perfect through ball for Vinícius Júnior to slot home the 2–1 winner. Bellingham: one goal, one assist, and absolutely no chill when the clock hits 90.
In Ligue 1, Kylian Mbappé stayed on brand. PSG steamrolled their opponent 3–0, with Mbappé scoring twice – one blistering counter-attack finish after burning two defenders for pace, and one ice-cold penalty rolled into the bottom corner. He could’ve had a hat-trick but clipped the bar with a curling effort late on. Still, another night where he looked totally untouchable.
Social Media Spotlight: VAR rage, tunnel scenes, and instant highlights
The internet did exactly what you’d expect after Liverpool vs City: it detonated. The main storyline? That disallowed Núñez winner. Fans are tearing into the VAR offside lines, some calling it "robot football", others saying it was the right call by the book but totally soul-crushing.
The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans losing it over the VAR offside that denied Núñez a late winner
On X (Twitter), the #LIVMCI timeline is wall-to-wall freeze-frames of the offside call, angry quote-tweets of the VAR explanation, and people arguing about whether "clear and obvious" even means anything anymore. Some are posting side-by-side images of other tight calls this season, accusing referees of inconsistency. It’s chaos – but the addictive kind.
Over on Instagram, Liverpool’s official account is already pumping out clips from the touchline: Salah celebrating in front of the Kop, Jota sliding on his knees after the equaliser, and Klopp chest-bumping his staff like he just won a final. Expect a flood of Stories from the dressing room: music blasting, shirts off, and that wild mix of "we wanted more" and "we’ll take the point".
YouTube is where the neutrals are heading – search results are stacked with official highlight uploads and instant reaction shows breaking down every angle of the offside controversy, Haaland’s movement, and whether Liverpool’s press is fully back.
Reporter’s hot take: who really walks away happy?
Here’s my honest take: Manchester City bottled a chance to make a statement. If you lead twice at Anfield, with Haaland already on the scoresheet and De Bruyne pulling strings, you have to kill the game. Instead, they let Liverpool drag them into a wild, emotional slugfest – and that always suits the Reds.
Liverpool, though, can’t pretend this was perfect. Defensively, they let Haaland and Dias score in ways that will annoy Klopp for days – basics like marking and second balls. But if you’re judging pure mentality? This was elite. Down twice to the best team in the world and still roaring back? That’s title challenger energy.
As for the big stars: Haaland was deadly but not decisive. Salah was electric and felt like the emotional heartbeat of the game. If anyone walked off that pitch looking like the face of the Premier League, it was Salah – again.
Closing whistle: title race wide open
Anfield gave us chaos, controversy, and a reminder of why you never switch off when these two collide. City keep their noses just in front, Liverpool keep breathing down their necks, and Arsenal are lurking with a grin. Every round from here is basically a mini-final.
If you’re trying to make sense of this madness – who’s top, who’s chasing, who just slipped in the football league table – the numbers tell their own story. Dive into the live standings and watch how every point shifts the whole picture:
Check full stats & standings now
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