Haaland hat-trick chaos as Man City edge Spurs in five-goal live thriller

Man City survive a wild 3-2 battle with Spurs as Erling Haaland explodes with a hat-trick. But a late VAR twist has everyone raging. Did Spurs deserve more?

Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-06, the pitch is on fire... You wanted football results today? Buckle up. Manchester City just survived a totally unhinged 3-2 classic against Tottenham at the Etihad, Erling Haaland went full cheat code, and VAR absolutely stole the spotlight in the final minutes.

Man City 3-2 Spurs – Haaland madness, VAR chaos

This one had everything. Goals, drama, controversy – exactly what you expect when City and Spurs collide.

Manchester City flew out of the blocks. On 14 minutes, Kevin De Bruyne slipped a filthy through ball in behind, and Erling Haaland did what Erling Haaland does: one touch to set, second touch smashed low past the keeper for 1-0.

Spurs, though, refused to fold. On 28 minutes, Dejan Kulusevski cut inside from the right and clipped a clever cross that found Son Heung-min sneaking in at the back post. Son met it first time, side-footing across the keeper to level it 1-1 – pure captain’s finish.

City hit back before the break. In the 41st minute, a quick short corner between De Bruyne and Phil Foden ended with Foden driving into the box and being taken down clumsily. After a brief VAR check, the penalty stood, and Haaland stepped up. No stutter, no nerves – just a thunderbolt into the top-left corner for 2-1 and his brace.

Second-half storm – hat-trick hero and late Spurs surge

After half-time, it looked like Pep Guardiola’s side had killed it off. On 62 minutes, De Bruyne again was the architect, floating a deep cross to the back post. Haaland bullied his marker in the air and powered home a header for his hat-trick. That made it 3-1 and had City fans bouncing.

Haaland’s overall display? Absolute monster mode. His movement dragged Spurs’ centre-backs everywhere; he pressed from the front, linked with De Bruyne and Foden, and finished as if the goal was a magnet. This was the version of Haaland that terrifies defenders and fuels title charges.

But Spurs just don’t do quiet endings at the Etihad. On 77 minutes, a loose ball on the edge of City’s box fell to James Maddison. One touch, head up, and he curled a delicious right-footed strike into the top corner for 3-2. Ederson got fingertips, but no chance – an absolute screamer.

Suddenly the game flipped. Maddison started picking pockets between the lines, Son stretched the pitch, and City looked rattled. Then came the moment everyone’s arguing about.

The VAR flashpoint that’s broken the internet

Deep into stoppage time, Spurs launched one last attack. Maddison threaded a pass into the channel for Son, who was clipped by a recovering defender right on the edge of the box. The referee originally pointed to the penalty spot. Spurs players went wild, City players lost it.

VAR stepped in. After a lengthy review, the decision was overturned – the foul judged to be just outside the area and, to make it even more brutal for Spurs, they also checked for a marginal offside in the build-up. The final call: no penalty, offside on the initial run. From expecting a last-gasp equaliser, Spurs ended up with nothing.

Son collapsing to his knees, Maddison screaming at the fourth official, City fans whistling for full-time – it was pure, raw Premier League chaos. And yes, social media is absolutely melting down over that VAR call.

Stars report card – heroes & flops

• Erling Haaland (Man City) – Hat-trick hero. Clinical, relentless, and totally locked in. This is the Haaland that wins Golden Boots and bulldozes title races.
• Kevin De Bruyne (Man City) – Two assists, constant danger. His passing range sliced Spurs apart all night. When he’s in this mood, City are a different beast.
• Phil Foden (Man City) – Drew the key first-half penalty, pressed smartly, connected midfield to attack. Not the main headline, but quietly massive.
• Son Heung-min (Spurs) – Scored, ran himself into the ground, and almost dragged Spurs to a point. His late disallowed chance and the VAR drama will haunt him.
• James Maddison (Spurs) – That goal was outrageous. Dictated a lot of Spurs’ attacking rhythm late on and was at the heart of the big controversial moment.

Title race twist – where does this leave City?

With this win, Manchester City keep the pressure cranked up at the top of the Premier League. Dropping points at home would’ve been a disaster, but instead they stay right in the thick of the title scrap. Spurs, on the other hand, lose ground in the chase for the Champions League spots – and they’ll feel they were a VAR decision away from a precious point.

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

Football results today – quick-fire round-up

Elsewhere across the big leagues, the football results today kept the drama flowing:

• Premier League: City 3-2 Spurs (Haaland x3; Son, Maddison). A statement from City’s No. 9 and a brutal blow for Spurs.
• La Liga spotlight: Real Madrid’s attacking star Jude Bellingham turned provider rather than scorer in their narrow 1-0 win earlier today, assisting the only goal but missing a big one-on-one he’d usually bury. Not a flop, but not his most ruthless night either.
• Ligue 1 watch: Over in France, Kylian Mbappé grabbed a goal from the spot in PSG’s routine home win, but it was more cruise control than chaos – a contrast to the insanity in Manchester.

From England to Spain and France, the big names mostly delivered – with Haaland very clearly planting his flag as the star of the day.

My take – this is why we love (and hate) VAR nights

In my opinion, this game summed up modern football perfectly. On one hand, you’ve got Haaland dropping a world-class centre-forward performance – three different types of finishes, massive movement, and ice-cold mentality. That should be the only story.

But on the other hand, we’re going to spend days talking about tech and lines and freeze-frames. Did Son really gain an unfair advantage? Was the foul actually outside the box? I get the need to get decisions right, but when a five-goal thriller ends with everyone talking about VAR instead of the football, something feels off.

From a pure football perspective, though: City showed the heart of champions. When the momentum swung, they held on. Spurs showed they can go toe-to-toe with anyone, but their defensive lapses and fine margins at the back are still costing them big-time.

If you’re neutral, you loved every second. If you support Spurs, you’re probably still yelling at your screen. And if you’re City? You’re staring at that table dreaming of another trophy.

What's next and where to look

The ripple effect from this result is massive. City stay in the hunt; Spurs are in a scrap for those Champions League spots; and every other contender suddenly feels the pressure to match this level of intensity.

Want to see exactly how tight it is at the top and who's chasing European places?

Check full stats & standings now

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