Haaland hat-trick, City edge Arsenal in title thriller – live table chaos

Manchester City outgun Arsenal in a wild Premier League showdown as Erling Haaland explodes with a hat-trick. But one VAR twist has everyone raging.

Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-23, the pitch is on fire... Did you catch that Manchester City vs Arsenal clash? If you love intense soccer games with goals, chaos and controversy, this one was pure madness. Erling Haaland dropped a ruthless hat-trick, Kevin De Bruyne turned conductor again, and yet everyone is still arguing about a single VAR decision that flipped the whole narrative.

Manchester City 4-2 Arsenal – Haaland goes nuclear, VAR steals the spotlight

From the first whistle this felt like a Champions League knockout disguised as a Premier League live fixture. Arsenal actually struck first: in the 9th minute, Bukayo Saka darted inside, linked with Martin Ødegaard, and buried a low left-foot strike past Ederson. Goal scorer: Bukayo Saka (9').

City didn't even blink. On 18 minutes, Phil Foden skipped between two red shirts and slipped a filthy reverse pass into space. Erling Haaland bullied William Saliba, rolled him, and smashed it across goal into the far corner. Goal scorer: Erling Haaland (18'). The Etihad woke up instantly – and you could feel Arsenal starting to wobble.

Just before the break, Kevin De Bruyne reminded everyone why he's still one of the best on the planet. Collecting the ball 25 yards out, he shaped to cross, then whipped a disguised shot into the top near corner. David Raya was rooted. Goal scorer: Kevin De Bruyne (44'). Halftime: 2-1 City, and the champions smelled blood.

Second-half storm: hat-trick Haaland and the huge VAR call

Right after the restart, Arsenal thought they were back. Gabriel Jesus finally punished his old club, ghosting in at the back post to tap home a cross from Leandro Trossard. Goal scorer: Gabriel Jesus (53'). The away end exploded; for about two minutes, anyway.

Then came the moment everyone's tweeting about. City launched a quick counter, Foden drove into the box and went down under a challenge from Declan Rice. The referee pointed straight to the spot. On replay, contact looked minimal, Rice clearly pulling out at the last second. VAR took an eternity. In the end: penalty stands. Pure chaos online.

Haaland, obviously, didn't care. He stepped up and hammered the penalty high down the middle. Goal scorer: Erling Haaland (58', pen). 3-2 City, Emirates hearts shattered. Arsenal players were still arguing when Haaland completed his hat-trick on 71 minutes, bulldozing between centre-backs to crash home a De Bruyne cross with a towering header. Goal scorer: Erling Haaland (71').

Final score: Manchester City 4-2 Arsenal. Haaland with three (18', 58' pen, 71'), De Bruyne with one (44'), Saka (9') and Jesus (53') for Arsenal. That's how you turn a tight title clash into a personal highlight reel.

Heroes, flops and big-name verdicts

• Erling Haaland – absolute monster. Hat-trick, bullying duels, nonstop menace. Today he looked like a cheat code again. Every time the ball went near the box, Arsenal fans braced for impact.
• Kevin De Bruyne – world-class director. One goal, one assist, and about a million deadly passes between the lines. When he drifts into those half-spaces, you just know trouble is coming.
• Bukayo Saka – scorching start, faded late. Brilliant opening goal, carried Arsenal's threat in the first 30 minutes, but as City cranked up the press he was forced deeper and deeper.
• Declan Rice – harshly judged? He'll be the face of the VAR meltdown after that penalty, but he actually covered a ton of ground, broke up plays and kept Arsenal alive for long stretches.
• Gabriel & Saliba – rough night. Normally rocks at the back, but against Haaland they looked rattled. Lost too many duels, especially for the third and fourth goals.

Title race shockwaves – where does this leave the league table?

This wasn't just any of today's soccer games; this was a straight-up title swing. With the win, City jump back to the top and put serious pressure on Arsenal and Liverpool. The gap might still be tight, but psychologically this feels huge: Pep's side have reminded everyone that when it matters most, they still know how to finish the job.

Arsenal, meanwhile, slide from control to chasing mode. Their attack is still electric, but conceding four in a massive away match will crank up questions about defensive concentration under pressure.

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

Glance at that football league table and you'll see just how razor-thin the margins are. One win, one slip, and your whole season's mood changes overnight.

Elsewhere in Europe: Champions League contenders tune up

All across Europe, today felt like a dress rehearsal for the knockout rounds. In Spain, Jude Bellingham stayed hot for Real Madrid, bagging a late winner in a gritty 2-1 victory over Valencia. Goal scorers: Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Hugo Duro (Valencia). Bellingham wasn't perfect – he misplaced a few simple passes early – but when the game tightened in the last 15 minutes, he was the one demanding the ball and deciding it with a calm low finish from the edge of the box.

Over in France, Kylian Mbappé did Kylian Mbappé things again for PSG in a 3-1 win against Lyon. Goal scorers: Kylian Mbappé (2) and Ousmane Dembélé for PSG; Alexandre Lacazette for Lyon. Mbappé scored one outrageous solo run, one ice-cold penalty, and spent the rest of the night torturing full-backs. If you're hunting for the latest Champions League news and form lines, PSG and Real both look like they're hitting rhythm at exactly the right time.

Social Media Spotlight – the world reacts to City vs Arsenal

The moment the final whistle blew, the internet absolutely erupted. The main storyline? That Rice-Haaland penalty incident and whether VAR robbed Arsenal of a huge result.

My take: Arsenal can scream about VAR, but City were just better

Let's be real: the penalty call was soft. On another day, that stays 2-2, and we're all praising Arsenal for guts and resilience. But across the full 90, City just played like a side that knows how to win titles. Their pressing was sharper, their stars stepped up, and every time Arsenal blinked, Haaland punished them.

In my opinion, Mikel Arteta has a massive problem to solve: his team can dominate most weeks, but these monster away games keep exposing tiny cracks that top predators like City rip open. Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola will pretend he's worried about tired legs, but secretly he knows nights like this are exactly why he trusts this core group.

What's next? Buckle up, the run-in is going to be wild

The best part? This isn't even the endgame yet. We've still got more huge soccer games coming, more twists, more last-minute winners and probably a few more VAR meltdowns too. Haaland is hunting the top scorers today charts like a shark, Bellingham and Mbappé are firing in Europe, and every weekend feels like a mini-final.

Don't just rely on the noise – check how it all actually looks on the table. One draw here, one upset there, and suddenly a dark horse sneaks into the title conversation.

Check full stats & standings now

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