Premier League drama live: Arsenal stun City, Haaland blanked in fiery finish
05.02.2026 - 18:11:07
Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-05, the pitch is on fire... You wanted football results today? Buckle up. The Premier League live action just delivered a heavyweight shocker at the Etihad as Arsenal walked into Manchester City's house and ripped up the script in a 2-1 thriller that's going to echo all over the title race.
This wasn't just another result. This was a statement. Arsenal's young core went toe-to-toe with Pep Guardiola's machine, Erling Haaland had one of those rare off nights, and a late, heart?stopping VAR call has the entire football world absolutely melting down online.
But this Arsenal isn't scared anymore. On 38 minutes, they hit back. Martin Ødegaard found space between the lines, slipped a slick reverse ball into Bukayo Saka, and Saka did what Saka does – opened his body and buried it low past Ederson. 1-1, and the away end went absolutely wild.
Second half, City pushed. This is where you expect Erling Haaland to turn into the monster. He had two massive chances: a point?blank header from a De Bruyne cross that he somehow nodded over, and a one?on?one where William Saliba just about got a toe in to deflect the shot wide. On another night, Haaland bags a brace. Today? Total frustration. Hero last week, almost a ghost tonight – his hold?up play never fully clicked and Arsenal's centre?backs bullied him more than we're used to seeing.
And then came the gut punch. 88th minute. City piling everyone forward, Arsenal breaking like lightning. Saka drove down the right, squared it to the edge of the box, and Gabriel Martinelli absolutely lashed one from 20 yards. It took a tiny nick off a defender, wrong?footed Ederson, and kissed the inside of the post before flying in. 2-1 Arsenal. Total limbs in the away end, stunned silence everywhere else.
Then the dreaded gesture: VAR check. On replay, you could see Rice just nicked the ball a split?second before clattering into Bernardo. After what felt like an eternity, the ref heads to the monitor, comes back, and overturns it. No penalty. Arsenal bench explodes in relief, City staff lose it on the touchline. That one clip is *everywhere* right now – fans arguing if it's "clear and obvious" or just another episode in the VAR soap opera.
Haaland never even got his redemption shot from the spot. From possible 2-2 to a brutal 1-2 home defeat – that's how thin the margins are at the top.
City still have games to come against fellow top?four chasers, and with Haaland misfiring tonight while Saka and Martinelli delivered under maximum pressure, you can feel the narrative shifting. Arsenal's young guns aren't just contenders anymore – they look like they actually believe this is their year.
Martin Ødegaard quietly ran the tempo, finding pockets and setting the rhythm, but it was Gabriel Martinelli who wrote his name in lights. That late winner was pure chaos energy – hit with venom, full commitment, the kind of shot where you don't even aim, you just trust your technique and your instincts to do the rest.
On the flip side, Erling Haaland had the kind of night you rarely see from him in the stats sheet: no goals, a couple of big misses, touches few and far between in the box. Defenders swarming him, passing angles cut off, frustration growing. He wasn't terrible, but when you're Haaland, "not terrible" isn't the standard – City needed a killer, and he just didn't deliver the final blow.
Kevin De Bruyne, though, was still special. A goal and several laser?guided passes that on another day create two or three more. You can see he's still the heartbeat of this side, but even he couldn't drag them over the line tonight.
Scroll through and you'll see everything from slow?motion breakdowns of Rice's challenge to Arsenal fans claiming "mentality monsters" status and City fans demanding consistency from VAR. Same clip, 1000 different opinions.
In my opinion, if City want to wrestle control of the title race back, Guardiola has a decision to make. Do you keep feeding Haaland the same service and hope variance swings back, or do you tweak the structure to get him more involved earlier, dragging centre?backs around instead of making him the final, static target? Tonight, it felt like Arsenal had done their homework on his movement and City didn't have a Plan B.
For Arsenal, this is the kind of win that lives in the players' heads for months. You go away to the champions, your star boy Saka scores, your explosive winger Martinelli hits a late winner, your defensive leader Rice makes the decisive tackle in stoppage time – that's identity stuff. That's "we actually belong here" stuff.
If you want to see exactly how massive this result is in numbers, not just vibes, the live table tells the full story:
This wasn't just another result. This was a statement. Arsenal's young core went toe-to-toe with Pep Guardiola's machine, Erling Haaland had one of those rare off nights, and a late, heart?stopping VAR call has the entire football world absolutely melting down online.
Man City 1–2 Arsenal: Saka and Martinelli silence the Etihad
If you missed this one, you missed chaos. City started like they always do: ball, pressure, and waves of attacks. They got the opener on 24 minutes when Phil Foden slid a killer pass into Kevin De Bruyne, who whipped a trademark right?footed curler inside the far post. 1-0 City, and it felt like the usual script.But this Arsenal isn't scared anymore. On 38 minutes, they hit back. Martin Ødegaard found space between the lines, slipped a slick reverse ball into Bukayo Saka, and Saka did what Saka does – opened his body and buried it low past Ederson. 1-1, and the away end went absolutely wild.
Second half, City pushed. This is where you expect Erling Haaland to turn into the monster. He had two massive chances: a point?blank header from a De Bruyne cross that he somehow nodded over, and a one?on?one where William Saliba just about got a toe in to deflect the shot wide. On another night, Haaland bags a brace. Today? Total frustration. Hero last week, almost a ghost tonight – his hold?up play never fully clicked and Arsenal's centre?backs bullied him more than we're used to seeing.
And then came the gut punch. 88th minute. City piling everyone forward, Arsenal breaking like lightning. Saka drove down the right, squared it to the edge of the box, and Gabriel Martinelli absolutely lashed one from 20 yards. It took a tiny nick off a defender, wrong?footed Ederson, and kissed the inside of the post before flying in. 2-1 Arsenal. Total limbs in the away end, stunned silence everywhere else.
VAR carnage in stoppage time
But we weren't done. Deep into stoppage time, City thought they had a lifeline. A long ball into the box, Haaland tussling with Saliba, the ball breaks loose, Bernardo Silva goes down under a challenge from Declan Rice. Ref points to the spot. The Etihad erupts, Arsenal players go ballistic.Then the dreaded gesture: VAR check. On replay, you could see Rice just nicked the ball a split?second before clattering into Bernardo. After what felt like an eternity, the ref heads to the monitor, comes back, and overturns it. No penalty. Arsenal bench explodes in relief, City staff lose it on the touchline. That one clip is *everywhere* right now – fans arguing if it's "clear and obvious" or just another episode in the VAR soap opera.
Haaland never even got his redemption shot from the spot. From possible 2-2 to a brutal 1-2 home defeat – that's how thin the margins are at the top.
Title race shaken: where does this leave the table?
This result blows the door wide open in the football league table. City, usually untouchable at home, just coughed up three monster points to a direct rival. Arsenal not only take the win; they potentially flip the psychological edge in the Premier League live title run?in.City still have games to come against fellow top?four chasers, and with Haaland misfiring tonight while Saka and Martinelli delivered under maximum pressure, you can feel the narrative shifting. Arsenal's young guns aren't just contenders anymore – they look like they actually believe this is their year.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
Check how tight that top pack is now – every draw feels like a defeat, every away win like this is pure gold.Stars under the spotlight: heroes and flops
Bukayo Saka was outrageous tonight. Constantly driving at Joško Gvardiol, cutting inside, dropping shoulders; that equaliser before half?time flipped the whole vibe of the game. You could feel City's back line hesitate every time he got the ball – and that half?yard of fear is all a winger like him needs.Martin Ødegaard quietly ran the tempo, finding pockets and setting the rhythm, but it was Gabriel Martinelli who wrote his name in lights. That late winner was pure chaos energy – hit with venom, full commitment, the kind of shot where you don't even aim, you just trust your technique and your instincts to do the rest.
On the flip side, Erling Haaland had the kind of night you rarely see from him in the stats sheet: no goals, a couple of big misses, touches few and far between in the box. Defenders swarming him, passing angles cut off, frustration growing. He wasn't terrible, but when you're Haaland, "not terrible" isn't the standard – City needed a killer, and he just didn't deliver the final blow.
Kevin De Bruyne, though, was still special. A goal and several laser?guided passes that on another day create two or three more. You can see he's still the heartbeat of this side, but even he couldn't drag them over the line tonight.
Social Media Spotlight: the football world reacts
Everyone's timelines are basically one giant argument right now. Was it a penalty on Bernardo? Did VAR bail Arsenal out? Or was it a textbook clean tackle from Declan Rice? If you want raw emotion, unfiltered takes, and way too many freeze?frames of one moment, the internet is absolutely cooking.The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans furious over that late VAR penalty overturn
My take: this feels like a turning point
From a reporter's eye, this didn't feel like a fluke smash?and?grab. Arsenal absorbed pressure, held their nerve, and then – crucially – had the courage to keep playing even at 1-1 away at City. That's new. Old Arsenal sits deep and prays. This version keeps throwing punches.In my opinion, if City want to wrestle control of the title race back, Guardiola has a decision to make. Do you keep feeding Haaland the same service and hope variance swings back, or do you tweak the structure to get him more involved earlier, dragging centre?backs around instead of making him the final, static target? Tonight, it felt like Arsenal had done their homework on his movement and City didn't have a Plan B.
For Arsenal, this is the kind of win that lives in the players' heads for months. You go away to the champions, your star boy Saka scores, your explosive winger Martinelli hits a late winner, your defensive leader Rice makes the decisive tackle in stoppage time – that's identity stuff. That's "we actually belong here" stuff.
What's next?
With every round of football results today, the pressure is only going to crank up. One bad week and you're out of the title race, one run of wins and you're suddenly the favourite. Keep an eye on how Haaland responds, how Saka handles the spotlight, and whether this is the night we point back to when we say: "Yeah, that's when the balance of power shifted."If you want to see exactly how massive this result is in numbers, not just vibes, the live table tells the full story:
Check full stats & standings now
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