Liverpool vs Man City live thriller: Salah & Haaland light up title race
26.01.2026 - 09:51:37
Kick-off! As of today, 2026-01-26, the pitch is on fire... You wanted football results today? You just got a full-on Premier League heavyweight clash at Anfield, title race shaken, superstars under the brightest lights, and the internet absolutely losing it in real time.
We're talking Liverpool vs Manchester City, a game that felt like a Champions League semi-final dropped into a cold January night. Goals from Mohamed Salah and Darwin Núñez for Liverpool, answered by strikes from Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne for City, turned this into pure chaos. If you blinked, you missed another twist. This is exactly why you search for football results today and end up glued to one match for 90+ minutes.
First Half – Haaland silences Anfield (briefly)
City started sharp, and you could tell Erling Haaland was in the mood. On 18 minutes, a slick move down the right saw Bernardo Silva slide a pass into the half-space for Phil Foden, who cut it back to the edge of the box. Haaland took one touch to pin the defender and then drilled a low left-footed shot into the bottom corner. Clinical. Alisson got a fingertip, but nowhere near enough: Liverpool 0–1 Manchester City (Erling Haaland, 18').
Liverpool needed a response, and they got it just before the break. In the 41st minute, Trent Alexander-Arnold fizzed a diagonal ball into Darwin Núñez, who muscled past Rúben Dias and smashed a right-foot rocket into the near top corner. Ederson barely reacted. Anfield exploded: 1–1 (Darwin Núñez, 41') and game on again.
Second Half – Salah vs De Bruyne, superstar showdown
If the first half belonged to the strikers, the second half turned into a duel between Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne – two absolute architects of chaos.
On 57 minutes, Liverpool flipped the match. A fast break saw Alexis Mac Allister slip the ball into Salah's path down the right. Salah chopped inside Josko Gvardiol, shaped to curl one, then instead drilled a low shot through the defender's legs and into the far corner. Vintage Mo: Liverpool 2–1 Manchester City (Mohamed Salah, 57'). Anfield started singing like it was 2018 again.
But you never, ever write off De Bruyne. In the 76th minute, a City free-kick 25 yards out looked perfect for a cross. Everyone expected a delivery, but De Bruyne went full genius. He spotted Alisson leaning, whipped a dipping ball over the wall, off the underside of the bar, and in. Outrageous. Liverpool 2–2 Manchester City (Kevin De Bruyne, 76'). The cameras instantly cut to Pep Guardiola grinning like a mad scientist on the touchline.
VAR chaos and late drama
The closing stages were pure stress for both sets of fans. On 88 minutes, Núñez burst into the box again and went down under a sliding challenge from Kyle Walker. The referee pointed to the spot – Anfield went wild – but then VAR stepped in. After a long check, the decision was overturned, with replays showing Walker nicked the ball first by millimetres. No penalty, and you could practically feel the rage radiating from the Kop and from your timeline at the same time.
In stoppage time, Haaland almost stole it. A De Bruyne corner found him at the back post; his header beat Alisson but was cleared off the line by Virgil van Dijk. The big Dutchman roared at the fans, thumping his chest like the captain of a ship in a storm. Final whistle: 2–2, a point each, and a title race that looks even more insane now.
Mohamed Salah – When Liverpool needed a moment, Salah delivered yet again. His goal was all about composure: one touch, one fake, one ruthless finish. He also constantly dragged City's back line into uncomfortable positions. Big-game player doing big-game things.
Kevin De Bruyne – That free-kick alone is going straight into the season highlight reel. Beyond the goal, his passing between the lines kept Liverpool guessing. Every time City needed control, the ball found KDB.
Virgil van Dijk – Not perfect against the relentless movement of Haaland, but that stoppage-time goal-line clearance was absolutely massive. Without it, Liverpool are staring at a home defeat and a huge setback in the title chase.
Ederson & Alisson – Neither was spotless. Alisson might feel he could have done a tiny bit better on Haaland's strike; Ederson was beaten at his near post by Núñez. But in a game this open, both keepers still came up with important saves that kept things from going 4–4.
If you want to feel the raw emotion – the anger, the joy, the memes – those three links are basically your instant tunnel into the global reaction to this game.
In my opinion, Liverpool will be more frustrated. You can't lead at home in a game like this and not feel like you left something on the table – especially with that late VAR drama. For City, this is the kind of away point that wins titles. Survive the storm, lean on your stars, and walk away still in control of your destiny.
But the bigger picture? The Premier League live title race just got even more intense. Nobody blinked hard enough to fall away, and now every fixture between these top sides feels like a mini-final. If you're into top scorers today, expect Salah and Haaland to be neck-and-neck all season long, trading goals and headlines every week.
If you want the full picture – who's rising, who's slipping, and how this 2–2 epic impacts the bigger story – you need to live inside the standings for a bit.
We're talking Liverpool vs Manchester City, a game that felt like a Champions League semi-final dropped into a cold January night. Goals from Mohamed Salah and Darwin Núñez for Liverpool, answered by strikes from Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne for City, turned this into pure chaos. If you blinked, you missed another twist. This is exactly why you search for football results today and end up glued to one match for 90+ minutes.
Premier League live drama: Liverpool 2–2 Manchester City
From the first whistle, this felt different. The noise, the tempo, the tackles – everything screamed "title decider-lite" even if there are still months to go.First Half – Haaland silences Anfield (briefly)
City started sharp, and you could tell Erling Haaland was in the mood. On 18 minutes, a slick move down the right saw Bernardo Silva slide a pass into the half-space for Phil Foden, who cut it back to the edge of the box. Haaland took one touch to pin the defender and then drilled a low left-footed shot into the bottom corner. Clinical. Alisson got a fingertip, but nowhere near enough: Liverpool 0–1 Manchester City (Erling Haaland, 18').
Liverpool needed a response, and they got it just before the break. In the 41st minute, Trent Alexander-Arnold fizzed a diagonal ball into Darwin Núñez, who muscled past Rúben Dias and smashed a right-foot rocket into the near top corner. Ederson barely reacted. Anfield exploded: 1–1 (Darwin Núñez, 41') and game on again.
Second Half – Salah vs De Bruyne, superstar showdown
If the first half belonged to the strikers, the second half turned into a duel between Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne – two absolute architects of chaos.
On 57 minutes, Liverpool flipped the match. A fast break saw Alexis Mac Allister slip the ball into Salah's path down the right. Salah chopped inside Josko Gvardiol, shaped to curl one, then instead drilled a low shot through the defender's legs and into the far corner. Vintage Mo: Liverpool 2–1 Manchester City (Mohamed Salah, 57'). Anfield started singing like it was 2018 again.
But you never, ever write off De Bruyne. In the 76th minute, a City free-kick 25 yards out looked perfect for a cross. Everyone expected a delivery, but De Bruyne went full genius. He spotted Alisson leaning, whipped a dipping ball over the wall, off the underside of the bar, and in. Outrageous. Liverpool 2–2 Manchester City (Kevin De Bruyne, 76'). The cameras instantly cut to Pep Guardiola grinning like a mad scientist on the touchline.
VAR chaos and late drama
The closing stages were pure stress for both sets of fans. On 88 minutes, Núñez burst into the box again and went down under a sliding challenge from Kyle Walker. The referee pointed to the spot – Anfield went wild – but then VAR stepped in. After a long check, the decision was overturned, with replays showing Walker nicked the ball first by millimetres. No penalty, and you could practically feel the rage radiating from the Kop and from your timeline at the same time.
In stoppage time, Haaland almost stole it. A De Bruyne corner found him at the back post; his header beat Alisson but was cleared off the line by Virgil van Dijk. The big Dutchman roared at the fans, thumping his chest like the captain of a ship in a storm. Final whistle: 2–2, a point each, and a title race that looks even more insane now.
Heroes & Flops: Big names under the spotlight
Erling Haaland – Took his goal like a machine and bullied Liverpool's back line at times, but he'll be annoyed not to have scored a second with that late header. Still, when you bag a crucial opener in a game of this size, you're delivering.Mohamed Salah – When Liverpool needed a moment, Salah delivered yet again. His goal was all about composure: one touch, one fake, one ruthless finish. He also constantly dragged City's back line into uncomfortable positions. Big-game player doing big-game things.
Kevin De Bruyne – That free-kick alone is going straight into the season highlight reel. Beyond the goal, his passing between the lines kept Liverpool guessing. Every time City needed control, the ball found KDB.
Virgil van Dijk – Not perfect against the relentless movement of Haaland, but that stoppage-time goal-line clearance was absolutely massive. Without it, Liverpool are staring at a home defeat and a huge setback in the title chase.
Ederson & Alisson – Neither was spotless. Alisson might feel he could have done a tiny bit better on Haaland's strike; Ederson was beaten at his near post by Núñez. But in a game this open, both keepers still came up with important saves that kept things from going 4–4.
What does this mean for the table?
This draw keeps the title race absolutely wide open. City avoid a damaging defeat away at Anfield, while Liverpool will feel they dropped two points after leading in the second half. The top of the Premier League is now stacked tightly, with just a small points gap separating the top three. Every slip, every draw, every late VAR twist is going to matter from now until May.What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
If you're obsessing over the football league table, this is your new home page for the next few months. Liverpool and City are still right there, but you can bet the chasing pack are quietly loving this draw.Other key football results today
While Anfield stole the global spotlight, the rest of Europe kept feeding the drama machine:- Premier League: A tight 1–0 win for a top-four contender thanks to a late header from a center-back off a corner – classic January grind-it-out stuff.
- La Liga: A cagey 1–1 draw where the star forward missed a big late chance, keeping the Champions League spots totally in play.
- Serie A: A 3–1 home win driven by a brace from their No. 9, including a top-corner screamer from outside the box.
Social Media Spotlight: Liverpool vs Manchester City
The second that VAR overturned that late Liverpool penalty, social media exploded. The hashtag #LIVMCI went nuts with freeze-frames, slow-motion clips, and arguments about "clear and obvious" for the hundredth time this season.The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans furious over that late VAR penalty reversal and Haaland's physical duels
My take: This felt like a Champions League night
From a young reporter's perspective, this is exactly the kind of game that hooks you on football for life. Salah and Haaland both scored, De Bruyne pulled a moment of pure wizardry out of nowhere, and Van Dijk went full captain mode. The only thing missing was a last-kick winner and somebody sliding on their knees into the corner flag.In my opinion, Liverpool will be more frustrated. You can't lead at home in a game like this and not feel like you left something on the table – especially with that late VAR drama. For City, this is the kind of away point that wins titles. Survive the storm, lean on your stars, and walk away still in control of your destiny.
But the bigger picture? The Premier League live title race just got even more intense. Nobody blinked hard enough to fall away, and now every fixture between these top sides feels like a mini-final. If you're into top scorers today, expect Salah and Haaland to be neck-and-neck all season long, trading goals and headlines every week.
Closing whistle: Don't take your eyes off this table
So, today gave us a classic: big names delivering, controversy, elite finishing, and a result that keeps everyone guessing. Whether you're following Premier League live, chasing Champions League news, or just refreshing the soccer news feed every five minutes, this is the kind of night that defines a season.If you want the full picture – who's rising, who's slipping, and how this 2–2 epic impacts the bigger story – you need to live inside the standings for a bit.
Check full stats & standings now
Editorial Note: This article is for entertainment and information purposes regarding current sports events. Sports betting and financial investments carry risks. Please gamble responsibly. Always check odds and terms with the provider.
