Haaland hat-trick carnage as Man City stun Arsenal – Premier League live

Erling Haaland ripped Arsenal apart with a ruthless hat-trick in a wild 4-2 City win – but the real story is the VAR chaos that left Gunners fans raging.

Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-07, the pitch is on fire... You wanted drama from today's soccer games – you got absolute chaos at the Etihad. Manchester City 4-2 Arsenal, Erling Haaland with a cold?blooded hat-trick, Bukayo Saka trying to drag Arsenal back almost on his own, and a VAR storm that has X melting down in real time. Did you see that penalty call??

From the first whistle it felt like a title-decider in February. City flew out, Arsenal panicked, and within 15 minutes Haaland was already flexing. Kevin De Bruyne slipped one of those trademark slide-rule passes between Saliba and Gabriel, and Haaland bullied his way in to smash the opener low past David Raya. 1-0, and you could almost hear every defender in Europe sigh, "Not again."

Haaland the machine, Saka the fighter

City's second came from that man again. In the 32nd minute, Phil Foden drifted inside, clipped a filthy little reverse pass into the box, and Haaland spun away from Saliba to bury a left-foot rocket into the top corner. Two touches, one half-chance, one goal – classic Haaland. Arsenal looked stunned.

But credit where it's due: Bukayo Saka refused to fold. Just before half-time, Arsenal built their best move of the game. Martin Ødegaard combined with Declan Rice, slipped Saka out wide, and the England star cut inside to curl a beauty into the far corner. Ederson at full stretch, no chance. 2-1, lifeline, and suddenly the away end believed again.

The second half was pure chaos. Straight after the restart, Jeremy Doku went on a mad solo run, cut inside and drew a clumsy challenge from Ben White. Referee pointed to the spot instantly – and here came the VAR show. Replays showed the slightest contact, White barely brushing Doku's trailing leg. VAR took an age, checked it from about 12 angles, and still didn't overturn it. Penalty stands. Arsenal fans? Absolutely losing it online already.

Haaland didn't care about the discourse. He stepped up, stared down Raya, and absolutely thundered the penalty into the top left corner for his hat-trick. 59th minute, 3-1 City, and Haaland wheeled away, arms out, soaking in the noise. That's elite, ruthless, heartless centre-forward play.

Arsenal's late push and City's killer blow

Mikel Arteta threw on Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard, and the game opened up even more. In the 71st minute, Arsenal clawed one back: Ødegaard whipped in a teasing free?kick, Gabriel rose highest and powered a header in off the post to make it 3-2. City's back line, with Rúben Dias and Nathan Aké, suddenly looked nervous. For about 10 minutes, you honestly felt the comeback was on.

But then the killer. In the 83rd minute, De Bruyne found space again – of course he did – and slid a pass out wide to Bernardo Silva. His low cross was flicked on by Haaland, and Foden arrived at the back post to stab home City's fourth. Officially, the goal goes to Phil Foden, but the move was all Haaland's movement and De Bruyne's vision. 4-2, game done, statement made.

So the headline names? Haaland was pure destruction: three goals, one assist, bullying Arsenal's defence all night. De Bruyne looked back to something close to his best – two assists, constant danger between the lines. For Arsenal, Saka was heroic in defeat, Ødegaard had pockets of quality, but big-game players like Gabriel Jesus barely impacted the match off the bench. Defensively, Saliba and Gabriel simply couldn't live with City's tempo.

Title race shockwaves

This 4-2 win doesn't just give City three points; it blows the Premier League title race wide open again. Arsenal came into the day dreaming about finally pushing clear at the top, but walking out of the Etihad with zero points and four goals conceded is a reality check and a half. City, meanwhile, flex their usual February muscles – that ominous "we're not going anywhere" energy.

With this result, City leapfrog Arsenal in the table and close in hard on the current leaders. Goal difference takes a tasty bump too thanks to Haaland's hat-trick. Suddenly every neutral is eyeing the run-in thinking: here we go again, City in full chase mode, Arsenal needing to prove they won't collapse like last time.

What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings

Elsewhere in Europe: Bellingham delivers, Mbappé misfires

Over in La Liga, Jude Bellingham was at it again for Real Madrid, smashing home a late winner in a tight 2-1 victory over Villarreal. Rodrygo opened the scoring, Villarreal equalised through Gerard Moreno, but Bellingham ghosted into the box in the 88th minute to nod in from a Vinícius Júnior cross. He lives for clutch time – another match-winner on his rapidly insane highlight reel.

In Ligue 1, Kylian Mbappé had one of those nights to forget as PSG slumped to a 1-1 draw against Lyon. Mbappé did get on the scoresheet from the penalty spot early on, but he missed a huge one?on?one later in the game that would've sealed it. Lyon punished them with a late equaliser from Alexandre Lacazette, and the Paris crowd whistled at full time. Hero and villain in the same 90 minutes – Mbappé will hate that.

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My take: Arsenal rattled, City ruthless

Let's be real: this felt like the night City reminded everyone they're still the standard. When it gets hot in the title race, they don't blink. Haaland looked sharper, meaner, and more clinical than he has in weeks – the timing of this performance is brutal for everyone chasing the trophy. De Bruyne plus a locked?in Haaland is the most terrifying combo in world football, and Arsenal just got the full package.

From Arsenal's side, the mentality question is back on the table. Conceding four in a supposed "statement" game, losing composure under pressure, and then leaning on refereeing decisions as the main talking point – that's not how champions behave. Arteta's game plan wasn't awful, but the in-game reactions were too slow. In my opinion, he had to bring on fresh legs in midfield earlier; once City cranked the tempo, Rice and Jorginho looked swamped.

And that VAR penalty? Soft as anything. But elite teams find a way to play through those moments. Arsenal didn't. City did. That's the gap right now.

What's next?

The Premier League title story just got a fresh twist. Haaland firing again, City back on the charge, Arsenal licking their wounds, and every neutral locked in. This isn't just about today's soccer games; it's about momentum, belief, and who actually handles the heat when everything is on the line.

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