Haaland steals the show as Man City edge Liverpool in Premier League thriller – Live
24.02.2026 - 00:15:56 | ad-hoc-news.de
Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-24, the pitch is on fire... You wanted football results today? You got chaos, late drama, superstar moments and one gigantic VAR talking point that's blowing up every timeline on earth.
Premier League live drama: Manchester City 3–2 Liverpool
The headliner in England lit up the night: Manchester City 3–2 Liverpool at the Etihad, a match that felt like three games squeezed into one. From the first whistle this was pure pace – tackles flying in, presses suffocating, and the biggest names on the planet all over the scoresheet.
City drew first blood when Erling Haaland did exactly what Erling Haaland does. On 18 minutes, Kevin De Bruyne sliced Liverpool open with a trademark through ball, Haaland bullied his way between Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté and smashed low past Alisson. That's Haaland, ice cold, putting City 1–0 up and instantly shaping the whole conversation about the Golden Boot.
Liverpool hit back before the break. On 36 minutes, a slick move saw Mohamed Salah drift inside from the right, combine with Dominik Szoboszlai, and bend a wicked left-foot shot into the far corner. Ederson got a touch, but nowhere near enough. 1–1 and suddenly it was game on again – classic Salah, classic statement on a night when everyone was asking who would own the spotlight.
The second half? Absolute madness. City came out flying and, on 54 minutes, Phil Foden restored the lead. Bernardo Silva picked the ball up in the half-space, slid it to Foden on the left edge of the box, and Foden ripped a curling right-foot strike into the top corner. Net bulged, stadium erupted, Pep went wild on the touchline. 2–1 City, and Foden once again showing he's not just a supporting act in this squad of stars.
Liverpool refused to fold. Jürgen Klopp rolled the dice, bringing on Darwin Núñez, and the chaos merchant delivered. On 72 minutes, Núñez leapt highest on a Trent Alexander-Arnold cross, forcing Ederson into a desperate punch. The ball dropped loose and Alexis Mac Allister pounced, driving a first-time low strike through a sea of legs for 2–2. Away end going crazy, Klopp fist pumps locked in – you could taste the tension.
And then, the moment everyone is screaming about right now.
On 88 minutes, City broke from a Liverpool corner. Haaland surged down the right, squared the ball across the box, and substitute Julián Álvarez slotted home what looked like the winning goal. But VAR stepped in. They checked a possible foul by Rodri on Núñez in the build-up – a tug, a nudge, pure grey area. After a long check, the goal stood. 3–2 City, Liverpool players surrounding the ref, Klopp absolutely fuming on the touchline. That single decision is the hot-core of social media rage tonight.
Heroes and flops?
Haaland was the headline act again – one goal, one assist, constantly dragging Liverpool's back line into uncomfortable positions. This is the kind of night that makes Golden Boot narratives feel wrapped up, even in February. On the flip-side, Virgil van Dijk had one of those rare evenings where he looked human – bullied by Haaland physically and caught flat-footed more than once.
For Liverpool, Salah delivered his usual big-game punch with that first-half equaliser, but he faded late as City locked down his space. Alexander-Arnold had a wild one: gorgeous delivery for the second Liverpool goal, but also got targeted relentlessly down his flank. And in goal, Alisson made some huge saves but will still be replaying that first Haaland strike in his head tonight – he got close, but not close enough.
What this means for the title race
This result is massive. With City taking all three points, they jump back to the top of the Premier League table, nudging ahead of their closest rivals and putting huge pressure on everyone chasing. Liverpool, meanwhile, suddenly feel like they're clinging on instead of dictating the pace. One game doesn't define a season, but this one will be circled when we look back in May.
Elsewhere in the football world: European giants flex
While England was losing its mind over Haaland and that VAR call, the continent refused to stay quiet.
In Spain, Real Madrid kept their title push rolling with a hard-fought 2–1 home win, powered – who else – by Jude Bellingham. The English superstar opened the scoring with a late run into the box, arriving like a freight train on a Vinícius Júnior cut-back and side-footing home. When Madrid needed control in the final 20, Bellingham dropped deeper, dictating tempo like a veteran instead of a 20-something kid. He's not just scoring, he's running entire matches now.
Over in France, Paris Saint-Germain did PSG things and cruised to a comfortable win, with Kylian Mbappé once again on the sheet. A blistering counter saw him explode into space on the left, cut inside and lash a right-foot rocket into the far top corner – the kind of goal you can already see looping on your feed as a "How is this guy real?" clip. That strike keeps him firmly in the conversation for Europe's top scorers and keeps PSG strolling at the top of Ligue 1.
Champions League news & the bigger picture
All of tonight's chaos doesn't live in isolation. With Champions League knockouts looming, performances like Haaland's, Bellingham's, and Mbappé's feel like early warning shots. City look ruthless, Real Madrid look inevitable, PSG look terrifying in transition – and every manager in Europe is quietly rewinding tonight's tapes, thinking, "How on earth do we stop these guys?"
The bigger narrative: form lines are starting to solidify. The football league table in England, Spain and France all tell similar stories – a few super-clubs pulling away while the rest scrap like crazy just to stay in the Champions League spots. That's why every goal from Haaland, every late tackle, every VAR decision like tonight's in Manchester feels like it's shaping an entire season, not just a single match report.
Right now, #MCILIV is a war zone of opinions: freeze-frames of the Rodri–Núñez contact, slow-mo replays, people counting the "angles checked" by VAR like it's some kind of conspiracy audit. Others are just spamming Haaland goal comps or posting Foden's screamer from 15 different camera views. That's today's soccer news ecosystem – instant, emotional, and completely unapologetic.
My take: this was era-defining stuff
Let's be real: in my opinion, this felt like one of those matches we'll talk about in highlight reels for years. Haaland was absolutely world-class – not just a tap-in merchant, but the battering ram and the brain of so many City attacks. Foden is playing like he's done being called "promising" – he's just straight-up elite now.
On the other bench, I think Klopp got his subs mostly right, especially with Núñez turning chaos into end product, but Liverpool's game management in the final 10 minutes was rough. You can rage at VAR all you want – and honestly, that decision was so soft – but big teams can't allow a coast-to-coast counter like that in the 88th minute of a title-shaping game. For me, this wasn't just about technology; it was about details, focus, and City being that tiny bit more ruthless when it mattered most.
Closing whistle: title race at full throttle
So yeah, if you were looking up "football results today" expecting a quiet Tuesday, you picked the wrong night. We got worldies, meltdowns, superstar flexes, and a VAR storm that's going to fuel podcasts and pub debates all week.
If you want to see exactly how much this City–Liverpool classic has twisted the title race, zoom out and look at the full live table and stats right now:
Premier League live drama: Manchester City 3–2 Liverpool
The headliner in England lit up the night: Manchester City 3–2 Liverpool at the Etihad, a match that felt like three games squeezed into one. From the first whistle this was pure pace – tackles flying in, presses suffocating, and the biggest names on the planet all over the scoresheet.
City drew first blood when Erling Haaland did exactly what Erling Haaland does. On 18 minutes, Kevin De Bruyne sliced Liverpool open with a trademark through ball, Haaland bullied his way between Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté and smashed low past Alisson. That's Haaland, ice cold, putting City 1–0 up and instantly shaping the whole conversation about the Golden Boot.
Liverpool hit back before the break. On 36 minutes, a slick move saw Mohamed Salah drift inside from the right, combine with Dominik Szoboszlai, and bend a wicked left-foot shot into the far corner. Ederson got a touch, but nowhere near enough. 1–1 and suddenly it was game on again – classic Salah, classic statement on a night when everyone was asking who would own the spotlight.
The second half? Absolute madness. City came out flying and, on 54 minutes, Phil Foden restored the lead. Bernardo Silva picked the ball up in the half-space, slid it to Foden on the left edge of the box, and Foden ripped a curling right-foot strike into the top corner. Net bulged, stadium erupted, Pep went wild on the touchline. 2–1 City, and Foden once again showing he's not just a supporting act in this squad of stars.
Liverpool refused to fold. Jürgen Klopp rolled the dice, bringing on Darwin Núñez, and the chaos merchant delivered. On 72 minutes, Núñez leapt highest on a Trent Alexander-Arnold cross, forcing Ederson into a desperate punch. The ball dropped loose and Alexis Mac Allister pounced, driving a first-time low strike through a sea of legs for 2–2. Away end going crazy, Klopp fist pumps locked in – you could taste the tension.
And then, the moment everyone is screaming about right now.
On 88 minutes, City broke from a Liverpool corner. Haaland surged down the right, squared the ball across the box, and substitute Julián Álvarez slotted home what looked like the winning goal. But VAR stepped in. They checked a possible foul by Rodri on Núñez in the build-up – a tug, a nudge, pure grey area. After a long check, the goal stood. 3–2 City, Liverpool players surrounding the ref, Klopp absolutely fuming on the touchline. That single decision is the hot-core of social media rage tonight.
Heroes and flops?
Haaland was the headline act again – one goal, one assist, constantly dragging Liverpool's back line into uncomfortable positions. This is the kind of night that makes Golden Boot narratives feel wrapped up, even in February. On the flip-side, Virgil van Dijk had one of those rare evenings where he looked human – bullied by Haaland physically and caught flat-footed more than once.
For Liverpool, Salah delivered his usual big-game punch with that first-half equaliser, but he faded late as City locked down his space. Alexander-Arnold had a wild one: gorgeous delivery for the second Liverpool goal, but also got targeted relentlessly down his flank. And in goal, Alisson made some huge saves but will still be replaying that first Haaland strike in his head tonight – he got close, but not close enough.
What this means for the title race
This result is massive. With City taking all three points, they jump back to the top of the Premier League table, nudging ahead of their closest rivals and putting huge pressure on everyone chasing. Liverpool, meanwhile, suddenly feel like they're clinging on instead of dictating the pace. One game doesn't define a season, but this one will be circled when we look back in May.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
That live table tells the full story: City edging clear, goal difference swinging in their favour after another high-scoring win, and Liverpool now needing not just wins but favours from elsewhere. You can literally see the pressure tightening on every club in that top-four zone when you line tonight's score up against the rest of the weekend's football results today.Elsewhere in the football world: European giants flex
While England was losing its mind over Haaland and that VAR call, the continent refused to stay quiet.
In Spain, Real Madrid kept their title push rolling with a hard-fought 2–1 home win, powered – who else – by Jude Bellingham. The English superstar opened the scoring with a late run into the box, arriving like a freight train on a Vinícius Júnior cut-back and side-footing home. When Madrid needed control in the final 20, Bellingham dropped deeper, dictating tempo like a veteran instead of a 20-something kid. He's not just scoring, he's running entire matches now.
Over in France, Paris Saint-Germain did PSG things and cruised to a comfortable win, with Kylian Mbappé once again on the sheet. A blistering counter saw him explode into space on the left, cut inside and lash a right-foot rocket into the far top corner – the kind of goal you can already see looping on your feed as a "How is this guy real?" clip. That strike keeps him firmly in the conversation for Europe's top scorers and keeps PSG strolling at the top of Ligue 1.
Champions League news & the bigger picture
All of tonight's chaos doesn't live in isolation. With Champions League knockouts looming, performances like Haaland's, Bellingham's, and Mbappé's feel like early warning shots. City look ruthless, Real Madrid look inevitable, PSG look terrifying in transition – and every manager in Europe is quietly rewinding tonight's tapes, thinking, "How on earth do we stop these guys?"
The bigger narrative: form lines are starting to solidify. The football league table in England, Spain and France all tell similar stories – a few super-clubs pulling away while the rest scrap like crazy just to stay in the Champions League spots. That's why every goal from Haaland, every late tackle, every VAR decision like tonight's in Manchester feels like it's shaping an entire season, not just a single match report.
The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans raging over that late VAR call on City's winner
My take: this was era-defining stuff
Let's be real: in my opinion, this felt like one of those matches we'll talk about in highlight reels for years. Haaland was absolutely world-class – not just a tap-in merchant, but the battering ram and the brain of so many City attacks. Foden is playing like he's done being called "promising" – he's just straight-up elite now.
On the other bench, I think Klopp got his subs mostly right, especially with Núñez turning chaos into end product, but Liverpool's game management in the final 10 minutes was rough. You can rage at VAR all you want – and honestly, that decision was so soft – but big teams can't allow a coast-to-coast counter like that in the 88th minute of a title-shaping game. For me, this wasn't just about technology; it was about details, focus, and City being that tiny bit more ruthless when it mattered most.
Closing whistle: title race at full throttle
So yeah, if you were looking up "football results today" expecting a quiet Tuesday, you picked the wrong night. We got worldies, meltdowns, superstar flexes, and a VAR storm that's going to fuel podcasts and pub debates all week.
If you want to see exactly how much this City–Liverpool classic has twisted the title race, zoom out and look at the full live table and stats right now:
Check full stats & standings now
Editorial Note: This article is for entertainment and information purposes regarding current sports events. Sports betting and financial investments carry risks. Please gamble responsibly. Always check odds and terms with the provider.
Anzeige
Hol dir den Wissensvorsprung der Profis.
Seit 2005 liefert der Börsenbrief trading-notes verlässliche Trading-Empfehlungen – dreimal die Woche, direkt in dein Postfach.
100% kostenlos. 100% Expertenwissen. Trage einfach deine E-Mail Adresse ein und verpasse ab heute keine Top-Chance mehr. Jetzt kostenlos anmelden
Jetzt abonnieren.
