Liverpool vs Man City thriller live: Anfield erupts as title race flips
08.02.2026 - 12:09:51
Premier League live drama: Liverpool 3-2 Manchester City – Classic at Anfield
Anfield under the lights, the league leaders in town, and everyone watching the Premier League live with one question: could Liverpool really take down Pep Guardiola's City again? The answer: yes – but it was wild.
Manchester City actually struck first. In the 19th minute, Kevin De Bruyne slid a filthy through ball between the lines, and Erling Haaland did what Erling Haaland does. One touch to set, second touch smashed low past Alisson into the bottom corner. 0-1 City, Haaland on the board again, and the away end absolutely bouncing.
Liverpool needed a response and found it through their main man. In the 34th minute, after some heavy pressure, Trent Alexander-Arnold switched play brilliantly to the left. Luis Díaz drove inside, fed Darwin Núñez, whose shot was blocked – the rebound fell to Mohamed Salah. First-time, left-foot, curled into the top corner from just inside the box. Ederson no chance. 1-1, and Salah's celebration straight in front of the Kop said everything.
Then came the moment that flipped the whole mood: just before half-time, Salah whipped in a corner, Virgil van Dijk rose highest, and his header crashed against the bar. The loose ball dropped in the six-yard box and Dominik Szoboszlai reacted fastest, stabbing home from close range in the 44th minute. Liverpool 2-1 City at the break, Anfield roaring like it was 2019 again.
Second-half chaos: Haaland hunts, Salah hurts, and a late hero
You knew City weren't going away quietly. After the restart, Guardiola pushed his full-backs high, and the pressure paid off. In the 63rd minute, Phil Foden danced in from the left, played a one-two with Bernardo Silva, and slipped it to Erling Haaland on the edge of the box. Haaland turned van Dijk and drilled a nasty low drive into the far corner. 2-2, Haaland brace, and suddenly the whole stadium went silent for a beat.
From there, it was basketball. Salah nearly answered instantly, burning Joško Gvardiol down the right before forcing a one-handed save from Ederson. On the other end, De Bruyne clipped the top of the bar with a free-kick. VAR had its moment too in the 75th minute, when City thought they had a penalty after Haaland tangled with Ibrahima Konaté. The referee gave it initially, but after a long VAR check, it was overturned for a soft shove from Haaland in the build-up – and that's exactly what has social media melting down right now.
And then, the killer punch. In the 88th minute, Liverpool broke from a City corner. Núñez sprinted down the left, cut the ball across the box, and found Mohamed Salah arriving late. Instead of shooting, Salah cleverly laid it off to Alexis Mac Allister at the edge of the area. Mac Allister's first touch set it, his second bent a gorgeous strike into the far top corner. 3-2 Liverpool. Absolute scenes in the Kop end. City's players collapsed to the turf at full-time; Anfield exploded.
Heroes, flops, and the big names under the spotlight
- Mohamed Salah – One goal, one assist, and constant menace. This was vintage big-game Salah. His goal dragged Liverpool back into it, his decision to square for Mac Allister for the winner was pure cold-blooded class.
- Erling Haaland – Two ruthless finishes, but still walks off frustrated. He did his job, but City's defensive chaos left him on the wrong side of the result. Fans will argue all night whether he should've had that late penalty.
- Kevin De Bruyne – Quality on the ball, monster assist for the opener, but faded a bit as Liverpool's midfield press grew. Still, every time he touched it, you felt danger.
- Virgil van Dijk – Rock at the back besides the odd Haaland moment. Won huge duels, hit the bar, and led the backline when the pressure was insane.
The hot topic right now? That VAR penalty overturn on Haaland vs Konaté. Half the timeline is screaming "stonewall penalty", the other half cheering the ref for finally letting defenders defend. The hashtag #LIVMCI is absolute chaos.
Title race twist: How the table looks now
With Liverpool taking all three points, the title race just swung hard. City drop crucial points and suddenly the gap tightens at the top. Liverpool leapfrog into a stronger position, putting huge pressure on the rest of the pack heading into the final stretch of the season.
Arsenal and the other chasers now know they cannot slip – every dropped point from here could be fatal. Goal difference, head-to-head, all of it might matter come May, and today's 3-2 shifts the math massively.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
Elsewhere in the football results today
While Anfield stole the spotlight, the rest of Europe had its own fireworks.
In Spain, Real Madrid continued their push in La Liga with a tight 2-1 home win over Sevilla. Jude Bellingham was once again the difference-maker, scoring the opener with a calm finish after ghosting into the box in the 27th minute. Sevilla equalised through Youssef En-Nesyri early in the second half, but Madrid's winner came late when Vinícius Júnior cut in from the left and curled into the far corner in the 82nd minute.
Bellingham wasn't at his absolute best but still popped up with that decisive goal – that's what world-class players do. Vinícius was electric, winning constant fouls and stretching Sevilla's back line. Madrid stay firmly in control at the top of the football league table in Spain.
In France, Paris Saint-Germain rolled to a 3-0 win over Lyon, with Kylian Mbappé scoring twice – a first-half penalty and a ruthless counter-attack finish – while Ousmane Dembélé added a third with a thunderbolt from outside the box. Mbappé was simply unplayable today, constantly breaking the offside trap and toying with defenders. No flop talk here – this was a statement performance.
Social Media Spotlight
The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans furious and divided over the late VAR penalty call on Haaland
My take: Statement win, serious questions
From a young reporter's seat, this felt like a real changing-of-the-guard type night. Liverpool looked fearless, aggressive, and ruthless in transition. The crowd carried them, but the tactical tweaks – Szoboszlai and Mac Allister breaking lines, Salah drifting into pockets – made City look human.
For City, there's no way around it: the defending for all three goals was soft. Gvardiol and Rúben Dias looked rattled under Liverpool's press. In my opinion, Guardiola has to rethink how high his backline sits in these Anfield games. You can't keep giving Salah and Núñez that much space to run into and expect to survive.
But if you love this sport, nights like this are why. Big stars, big moments, big controversy – and a title race that just caught fire again.
Closing whistle
So that's the story from today's football results: Salah vs Haaland, Liverpool vs City, Bellingham and Mbappé doing their thing across Europe, and every top league feeling the heat. The next matchday could flip everything again, but for now, Anfield is the centre of the football universe.
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