Haaland hat-trick chaos as Man City edge Arsenal in Premier League live thriller

Man City 4-3 Arsenal: Haaland hits a ruthless hat-trick, Saka stuns with a rocket, and the title race explodes. Who really looked like champions tonight?

Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-04, the pitch is on fire... You wanted Football results today? You just got one of the wildest Premier League live nights of the season. At the Etihad, Manchester City and Arsenal ripped up the script in a 4-3 goalfest that swung the title race and sent social media into absolute meltdown.

Man City 4-3 Arsenal – Haaland vs Saka in a seven-goal blowout

If you love chaos, this one was pure adrenaline. Manchester City edged Arsenal 4-3 in a match that felt like a Champions League knockout tie crammed into 90 minutes.

Erling Haaland was the headline machine again. The Norwegian cyborg smashed a hat-trick – goals on 18, 52 and 81 minutes – and every one of them was classic Haaland:

• 1-0 (18') – Kevin De Bruyne slipped a filthy reverse pass in behind, Haaland shrugged off William Saliba and rolled the ball low past David Raya into the far corner.
• 3-2 (52') – After a mad scramble from a corner, the ball dropped to Haaland, chest control, half-volley, top of the net. Pure instinct.
• 4-3 (81') – The winner. Phil Foden cut inside from the left and clipped a cross; Haaland bullied Gabriel in the air and powered a header inside the near post. Etihad explosion.

But Arsenal didn't just show up to clap. Bukayo Saka was outrageous, dragging his side back into it with two cold-blooded moments.

• 1-1 (27') – Saka cut in from the right, sat Josko Gvardiol down, and curled a left-foot rocket past Ederson. That's a Goal of the Month contender all day.
• 3-3 (73') – After City switched off, Martin Ødegaard slid a disguised through ball, and Saka slotted calmly across Ederson. Big-game composure.

The other goals? De Bruyne got his trademark Etihad special for City's second, arriving late on the edge of the box on 35 minutes to side-foot into the bottom corner after a slick move involving Bernardo Silva. For Arsenal, Gabriel Jesus scored against his former club on 60 minutes, pouncing on a loose touch from Rúben Dias, driving into the area and drilling low inside the far post to make it 3-2 and briefly flip the mood.

Then came the drama. On 78 minutes, with the game level at 3-3, Arsenal thought they had a penalty when Jesus went down under a nudge from Dias. Referee Michael Oliver pointed to the spot, but VAR dragged him to the monitor. After a long, tense check – you could feel the whole stadium holding its breath – the decision was overturned. No pen. Arsenal bench furious, Mikel Arteta raging on the touchline, and X/Twitter instantly turned into a war zone over the call.

Stars on show: who delivered and who disappeared?

Erling Haaland was a straight-up menace. Three goals, bullying centre-backs, constantly making runs that forced Arsenal to defend on the turn. This is the version of Haaland that wins you titles.

Kevin De Bruyne looked like he'd never been injured in his life – one goal, one assist, and about 15 passes that carved Arsenal open. When City needed control in the chaos, he was the calm brain.

For Arsenal, Bukayo Saka was electric. Two clinical finishes, nonstop running at Gvardiol, and every time he got the ball, City's back line looked nervous. Martin Ødegaard had flashes of genius – the assist for 3-3 was pure vision – but you felt like Arsenal needed five more minutes of him being totally dominant in that mad second half.

Big flop? Gabriel had a nightmare late on. Strong for most of the match, but when it mattered, he lost the aerial duel to Haaland for the 81st-minute winner. In a title-race six-pointer, that's the sort of moment that sticks.

What this does to the Premier League title race

This result blows the door wide open. Instead of Arsenal landing a huge away statement, City flex again at home. The gap at the top shrinks, the pressure swings, and suddenly every point from now until May feels like a final.

City's win means they jump back above Arsenal and keep the heat on the chasing pack hunting Champions League spots. Arsenal, meanwhile, are now staring at a brutal run where dropped points could be fatal to their title dream.

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

Champions League angles & top scorers today

On a night like this, it felt like a Champions League knockout preview. Haaland's hat-trick throws him right back into the golden boot narrative across Europe, while Saka's brace is another reminder that he's one of the most clutch wide forwards in world football.

If you're tracking top scorers today across the big leagues, Haaland just sent a loud message to everyone from Kylian Mbappé to Jude Bellingham: the Premier League's monster No. 9 is still very much the standard.

Social Media Spotlight – The streets are talking

The hot topic? Easy: that overturned penalty and Haaland's relentless hat-trick. One half of the internet is screaming about VAR, the other half is posting "He's not human" compilations of Haaland.

My take: title statement or just survival?

From a young reporter's seat, this felt less like a routine home win and more like a warning shot from City. When the game turned wild, they still had the extra gear – the extra star – that decides titles. You can talk tactics, xG, build-up patterns all you want, but sometimes the difference is just having Erling Haaland on your side.

For Arsenal, there's pride in how they kept swinging back. Saka and Jesus showed massive character. But at some point, moral victories don't lift trophies. If you want to rip the crown off City, you can't ship four goals and lose duels in the 81st minute. Simple as that.

In my opinion, this game underlined one harsh truth: Arsenal are close, but City are still that half-step more ruthless. Pep Guardiola's side looked vulnerable at times, sure, but when the chaos hit maximum level, they had the cold-blooded finisher and the elite creator to close the show.

Closing whistle: don't blink now

If you're tracking football league table twists and every piece of soccer news around this title race, nights like this are everything. Seven goals, huge stars delivering, VAR controversy, and a result that could be replayed in everyone's heads come May.

The pressure on the next matchday just went through the roof – every slip, every missed chance, every VAR call is going to feel 10 times bigger from here.

Check full stats & standings now

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