Liverpool vs Man City live thriller: Salah & Haaland light up Anfield
08.02.2026 - 06:45:10
Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-08, the pitch is on fire... Did you catch that Anfield chaos? This round of soccer games just dropped a nuclear result on the Premier League title race, with Liverpool storming past Manchester City in a 3-2 classic that had everything: Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland trading punches, a stoppage-time heart-stopper, and VAR turning the whole stadium into a pressure cooker.
City, though, don’t blink. Just before the half-hour, Kevin De Bruyne (of course) dropped into that right half-space, clipped a devilish cross between centre-back and keeper, and Erling Haaland did what Haaland does – brutal front-post run, glancing header, 1-1. That’s him bullying Virgil van Dijk in the air, and it totally flipped the momentum.
Second half, the game went absolutely crazy. Liverpool retook the lead when Alexis Mac Allister threaded a filthy through ball into the channel, Núñez got there first and dinked a cut-back. Salah’s shot cannoned off Nathan Aké, but Dominik Szoboszlai followed up and drilled home from the edge of the box on 57 minutes. 2-1, Anfield shaking again.
City answered with pure composure. Jack Grealish kept driving at Trent, won a free-kick, and from that routine De Bruyne rolled it short to Phil Foden, whose shot was blocked. The rebound fell to Bernardo Silva, who calmly curled it into the corner for 2-2 on 71 minutes – Alisson rooted, the away end losing its mind.
And then, peak chaos in stoppage time. Núñez spun behind City’s high line, went one-on-one with Ederson and seemed to collide right on the edge of the box. The ref pointed to the spot, City players surrounded him, and VAR went into full forensic mode. After a long review, the decision stood: penalty Liverpool. Up stepped Mohamed Salah, pressure the size of Merseyside on his shoulders, and he absolutely buried it low to Ederson’s right for 3-2 in the 93rd minute. Anfield went insane, Guardiola lost it on the touchline, and the title race just swung hard.
Erling Haaland got his goal, but he faded. First half he bullied Liverpool’s back line, but as the game stretched, he got more and more isolated. Once Liverpool’s midfield locked onto De Bruyne and Foden, the service dried up and Haaland was left feeding on scraps, throwing his arms up in frustration more than you’d ever see in a normal City game.
Kevin De Bruyne was pure class in flashes – one assist, multiple line-breaking passes – but he also gave the ball away in a dangerous zone that nearly led to another Liverpool chance. For City’s incredibly high standard, that counts as a mixed night rather than his usual masterclass.
At the back, Virgil van Dijk had a real battle. He lost Haaland for the equaliser, but he recovered to make two absurd last-ditch blocks, especially one sliding tackle on Foden in the 85th minute that felt like a mini-goal in itself. On City’s side, Rúben Dias will be fuming: bullied by Núñez for the opener, then caught on the wrong side again in stoppage time on the penalty incident.
Over in France, Kylian Mbappé did Mbappé things in a routine Paris Saint-Germain win – grabbing a brace with one lightning counter-attack finish and another composed penalty. But honestly, even his goals tonight felt overshadowed by the wildfire coming out of Anfield and the Premier League live drama. That’s how big Liverpool vs City was.
Supporters are clipping Salah’s penalty run-up from every possible angle, City fans are freeze-framing the contact between Núñez and Ederson, and neutral fans are just sitting there with popcorn, loving every second. This is exactly the kind of match that keeps the Premier League and Champions League news cycle spinning for days.
On the flip side, Liverpool look like a side that absolutely believes again. Salah is in "drag-us-to-the-title" mode, Szoboszlai is adding goals from midfield, and that Anfield edge is fully back. If they can keep their key players fit and ride this momentum, don’t be surprised if this night ends up being the moment people look back on as the turning point of the whole season.
If you want to see exactly how much damage this did to City’s title hopes – and how hard Liverpool just turbo-boosted theirs – hit the full standings and start doing the math.
Liverpool 3-2 Manchester City – Salah vs Haaland turns into a street fight
This one felt like a Champions League night squeezed into a league fixture. Liverpool flew out like they’d been shot out of a cannon. On ninth minutes, Trent Alexander-Arnold fizzed a diagonal ball into space, Darwin Núñez bullied Rúben Dias off it and squared for Mohamed Salah, who took one touch and slammed it low into the far corner. 1-0, and Anfield erupted like it was a title decider.City, though, don’t blink. Just before the half-hour, Kevin De Bruyne (of course) dropped into that right half-space, clipped a devilish cross between centre-back and keeper, and Erling Haaland did what Haaland does – brutal front-post run, glancing header, 1-1. That’s him bullying Virgil van Dijk in the air, and it totally flipped the momentum.
Second half, the game went absolutely crazy. Liverpool retook the lead when Alexis Mac Allister threaded a filthy through ball into the channel, Núñez got there first and dinked a cut-back. Salah’s shot cannoned off Nathan Aké, but Dominik Szoboszlai followed up and drilled home from the edge of the box on 57 minutes. 2-1, Anfield shaking again.
City answered with pure composure. Jack Grealish kept driving at Trent, won a free-kick, and from that routine De Bruyne rolled it short to Phil Foden, whose shot was blocked. The rebound fell to Bernardo Silva, who calmly curled it into the corner for 2-2 on 71 minutes – Alisson rooted, the away end losing its mind.
And then, peak chaos in stoppage time. Núñez spun behind City’s high line, went one-on-one with Ederson and seemed to collide right on the edge of the box. The ref pointed to the spot, City players surrounded him, and VAR went into full forensic mode. After a long review, the decision stood: penalty Liverpool. Up stepped Mohamed Salah, pressure the size of Merseyside on his shoulders, and he absolutely buried it low to Ederson’s right for 3-2 in the 93rd minute. Anfield went insane, Guardiola lost it on the touchline, and the title race just swung hard.
Heroes & flops: Salah ice-cold, Haaland isolated late on
Mohamed Salah was straight-up unplayable. Two goals, involved in everything dangerous, constantly dragging João Cancelo and Dias all over the place. He’s not just padding stats – he’s deciding the biggest soccer games on the calendar. His movement inside and his calm from the spot in the 93rd minute was elite-level mentality.Erling Haaland got his goal, but he faded. First half he bullied Liverpool’s back line, but as the game stretched, he got more and more isolated. Once Liverpool’s midfield locked onto De Bruyne and Foden, the service dried up and Haaland was left feeding on scraps, throwing his arms up in frustration more than you’d ever see in a normal City game.
Kevin De Bruyne was pure class in flashes – one assist, multiple line-breaking passes – but he also gave the ball away in a dangerous zone that nearly led to another Liverpool chance. For City’s incredibly high standard, that counts as a mixed night rather than his usual masterclass.
At the back, Virgil van Dijk had a real battle. He lost Haaland for the equaliser, but he recovered to make two absurd last-ditch blocks, especially one sliding tackle on Foden in the 85th minute that felt like a mini-goal in itself. On City’s side, Rúben Dias will be fuming: bullied by Núñez for the opener, then caught on the wrong side again in stoppage time on the penalty incident.
Title race tremor: where this leaves the Premier League
Liverpool’s win doesn’t just give them three points – it slams a message down on the whole division. With this result, they vault back above City and crank the pressure on everyone chasing Champions League spots. City, meanwhile, suddenly look mortal again away from home against the elite – and their margin for error has pretty much evaporated.What does this mean for the title race? After tonight’s fireworks, the live league table has been shaken up again and every dropped point is now lethal. Click here for the live standings
Across Europe: Champions League chasers make noise
While Anfield was melting, the rest of Europe didn’t exactly stay quiet. In Spain, Real Madrid leaned once again on Jude Bellingham, who scored a late winner in a tight 2-1 victory – the English superstar popping up with a late run into the box, smashing home after Vinícius Júnior’s cut-back. Bellingham’s becoming the definition of clutch; every big moment, there he is at the penalty spot, arms wide, soaking it in.Over in France, Kylian Mbappé did Mbappé things in a routine Paris Saint-Germain win – grabbing a brace with one lightning counter-attack finish and another composed penalty. But honestly, even his goals tonight felt overshadowed by the wildfire coming out of Anfield and the Premier League live drama. That’s how big Liverpool vs City was.
Social Media Spotlight – Anfield goes viral
The timeline is absolutely melting down over that stoppage-time penalty. Half of X is screaming "stonewall spot-kick", the other half is calling it the robbery of the season. VAR, once again, is the main character.The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans furious and divided over that last-minute VAR penalty call
Supporters are clipping Salah’s penalty run-up from every possible angle, City fans are freeze-framing the contact between Núñez and Ederson, and neutral fans are just sitting there with popcorn, loving every second. This is exactly the kind of match that keeps the Premier League and Champions League news cycle spinning for days.
Reporter’s Take – pressure is officially on Guardiola
I’m just going to say it: this feels like a statement loss for City. Not just a blip. When the stakes are this high and your rivals smell blood, you simply cannot keep dropping big away games. Pep’s system still produces chances, but the defensive line tonight looked way too brave, almost reckless, against Salah and Núñez’s pace. In my opinion, Guardiola either needs to tweak that high line or accept that every top-six away day is going to turn into a 3-2 coin flip.On the flip side, Liverpool look like a side that absolutely believes again. Salah is in "drag-us-to-the-title" mode, Szoboszlai is adding goals from midfield, and that Anfield edge is fully back. If they can keep their key players fit and ride this momentum, don’t be surprised if this night ends up being the moment people look back on as the turning point of the whole season.
Closing whistle – the season just changed shape
Soccer news cycles move fast, but this one’s going to stick. Salah outgunning Haaland, VAR stealing the spotlight, and the table flipping live – it’s everything you love and hate about modern football wrapped into 90 wild minutes. If you’re into Premier League live drama, this is a night you bookmark, rewatch, and argue about for months.If you want to see exactly how much damage this did to City’s title hopes – and how hard Liverpool just turbo-boosted theirs – hit the full standings and start doing the math.
Check full stats & standings now
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