Last?gasp drama live: Premier League giants trade blows as goals fly in
25.01.2026 - 12:42:38
Premier League live: late drama, huge goals, massive pressure
At the top of the Premier League, all eyes were on a blockbuster at the Etihad: Manchester City vs Liverpool, a game that felt more like May than January. City edged it 2-1 in a wild, breathless 90 minutes that swung the title race and sent social media into meltdown.
City struck first through – who else? – Erling Haaland. The Norwegian machine bullied his way between the centre-backs and smashed home from close range after a cut-back from Kevin De Bruyne. That opener was vintage Haaland: brutal movement, ruthless finish. Liverpool hit back when Mohamed Salah coolly slotted a penalty into the bottom corner after a clumsy challenge on Darwin Núñez, sending the away end wild.
The winner? Pure high drama. In the dying minutes, substitute winger Jérémy Doku danced inside, cracked a shot that deflected off Virgil van Dijk and looped agonisingly beyond the keeper. Officially, it goes down as a Doku goal, and the stadium absolutely exploded.
Haaland was a menace all game – constantly dragging defenders around, linking smartly with De Bruyne and Foden. Salah, meanwhile, had a weird night: huge threat on the break, created a couple of golden chances, but also fluffed one big opening he’d normally bury. In a title decider vibe like this, those thin margins are brutal.
VAR controversy and big-match nerves
The flashpoint everyone’s arguing about came midway through the second half. Liverpool thought they’d made it 2-1 when Diogo Jota headed in at the back post, only for VAR to chalk it off for a razor-thin offside in the build-up. Lines all over the screen, players furious, fans losing it online – the full package.
From there, City turned the screw. Phil Foden clipped the bar with a curler, De Bruyne forced a huge save from close range, and Haaland kept hammering away at goal. In the end, that late Doku strike felt inevitable the way City were suffocating Liverpool.
Bottom line: City’s stars showed up just enough. Haaland gets on the scoresheet, De Bruyne pulls strings like a puppeteer, and Doku turns super-sub hero. Salah and Liverpool were dangerous but not ruthless – and at this level, that’s the difference between statement win and painful defeat.
Elsewhere in the Premier League: top scorers today and key twists
It wasn’t just at the Etihad where the goals were flying in. In London, Arsenal stayed in the hunt with a hard-fought 2-0 home win, powered by a superstar performance from Bukayo Saka. The winger broke the deadlock with a sweet left-foot strike after a slick one-two on the edge of the box, then later set up Gabriel Jesus with a cut-back that the Brazilian buried first time.
Saka was electric – drifting inside, tormenting full-backs, and constantly demanding the ball. Jesus, as usual, knitted everything together with his pressing and link-up. For Arsenal fans tracking the top scorers today, Saka’s goal adds another big number to his season tally and keeps him in the conversation with the league’s elite forwards.
At the other end of the table, a massive relegation scrap saw Nottingham Forest steal a 1-0 win thanks to a towering header from Chris Wood. It wasn’t pretty – long balls, scrappy tackles, set-piece battles – but Wood’s goal could be absolutely huge in the fight for survival.
What it means for the football league table right now
So where does all this leave the title race? City’s win over Liverpool keeps them right at the summit and maybe gives them a psychological edge heading into the spring run-in. Arsenal’s solid home victory keeps the pressure on both, while the chasing pack now have almost zero margin for error.
Down at the bottom, Forest’s narrow victory drags a couple of rivals deeper into trouble and gives them a precious cushion – but with so many six-pointers still to come, nobody is safe yet.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
Champions League news and big-name watch
With European nights around the corner, today’s Premier League pace feels like the perfect warm-up for the Champions League. Coaches will be buzzing about shape and intensity, but there are question marks too.
For City, Erling Haaland hitting the net again is exactly what they want heading into continental clashes. The connection with Kevin De Bruyne looks sharp, and that’s terrifying for any defence in Europe. Over in Spain and France, scouts will have had eyes on the likes of Jude Bellingham at Real Madrid and Kylian Mbappé at PSG in their own domestic games today – both staying in form keeps the Champions League narrative absolutely stacked with superstar firepower.
From a pure soccer news standpoint, the big winners of the day are the sides whose key men showed up: Haaland decisive, Saka clutch, and a few title rivals just about getting over the line. Nobody’s blinking yet.
Social Media Spotlight: the Internet reacts
If you think the stadium atmosphere was wild, wait until you see your timeline. The big online conversation right now? That disallowed Liverpool goal and the fine-margin VAR call that flipped the mood of the whole game.
The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans furious over the VAR offside that killed Liverpool's equaliser
Young reporter take: bold opinions incoming
Let’s be honest: games like City vs Liverpool decide seasons, not just nights. In my opinion, Liverpool will be kicking themselves for not turning Salah’s threat into more end product – this felt like one of those games where you have to be absolutely ruthless, and they weren’t. The disallowed Jota goal stings, sure, but you can’t pin everything on VAR when you’ve had other chances.
On the flip side, that’s what champions do: they survive the chaos and still find a way. Haaland scoring again in a pressure cooker is no coincidence. De Bruyne, even when he isn’t racking up three assists, dictates tempo like a metronome with vision. And bringing on Doku to run at tired legs? That’s just cruel.
Elsewhere, Saka feels more and more like a future captain – big goal, big assist, big presence. If Arsenal manage to finally get over the line this season, you can bookmark tonight as one of those quietly huge performances that made it possible.
Final whistle: where we stand and what's next
So that's the state of play from the biggest football results today: City land a statement win, Liverpool wobble but stay in the race, Arsenal keep grinding, and the relegation battle gets uglier by the week. The football league table is tightening at both ends, and every single fixture from here feels like a mini-final.
If you want the full context – goal differences, games in hand, who’s creeping up and who’s sinking – you need to see it all laid out.
Check full stats & standings now
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