Liverpool edge Man City in Anfield thriller as Haaland & Salah go live-fire
23.02.2026 - 10:42:00 | ad-hoc-news.de
Liverpool 3-2 Manchester City – Salah & Núñez steal the show
Anfield under the lights, two managers pacing the touchline, and from the first whistle this felt like a final. Manchester City struck first: in the 18th minute, Erling Haaland did exactly what Erling Haaland does. Kevin De Bruyne slipped a wicked ball between the lines, Haaland shrugged off his marker and drilled a low left-footed finish into the bottom corner. 0-1, City on top, and you could almost hear rival fans groaning, "Here we go again."
Liverpool hit back fast. On 29 minutes, Mohamed Salah dragged his team level. Trent Alexander-Arnold whipped in a trademark diagonal, Darwin Núñez nodded it down and Salah smashed home from close range. Anfield erupted, Salah knee-slid in front of the Kop, and suddenly the whole tempo flipped. From that moment, City's back line looked rattled every time Núñez ran at them.
The second half? Pure chaos. Just after the restart, in the 52nd minute, Liverpool turned the game around. A high press forced a mistake from Rodri, the ball broke to Dominik Szoboszlai, who threaded a delicious pass between two blue shirts. Darwin Núñez took one touch and lashed a right-foot rocket past Ederson at the near post. 2-1 Liverpool and Núñez celebrated like a man possessed, chest-thumping in front of the Main Stand.
City, though, are never dead. On 71 minutes, they sliced Liverpool open with a classic Guardiola pattern. Bernardo Silva drifted inside, slid a reverse ball into the box and Phil Foden arrived on cue, side-footing a precise finish into the far corner. 2-2, silence for a heartbeat, then nervous noise everywhere. Haaland roared at the away end; he wanted more, he wanted the winner.
And then came the moment every highlight reel is going to spam for weeks. Minute 89. Anfield holding its breath. Substitute Luis Díaz drove down the left, cut inside and fired a shot that Ederson parried into a mess of legs. The ball popped out towards the edge of the area and who else but Mohamed Salah again – one touch to set, second touch a curling, top-corner masterpiece. 3-2 Liverpool. The stadium exploded, Salah ripped away to the corner flag, teammates piling on top. City players dropped to their knees; Haaland stared at the turf in disbelief.
Heroes & Flops: Big names under the spotlight
- Mohamed Salah – Two goals, killer movement, nonstop menace. When Liverpool needed a superstar, he turned into a cheat code. Absolute hero performance.
- Darwin Núñez – One goal, one assist, endless chaos. He bullied City's centre-backs and dragged the game into the kind of wild tempo they hate.
- Erling Haaland – Clinical early strike, but starved of service late on. One big chance in the 82nd minute – a free header from six yards that he put over. For his standards, that's a flop moment.
- Kevin De Bruyne – Gorgeous assist for Haaland, but faded as Liverpool swarmed midfield. He looked furious coming off when substituted.
VAR couldn't stay out of it either. In the 76th minute, City thought they had a penalty when Haaland went down under a challenge from Virgil van Dijk. The ref pointed to the spot initially, but after a long VAR check – and a stadium drowning in whistles and boos – the decision was overturned for a soft tug from Haaland in the build-up. Social media detonated instantly, rival fans shouting "clear dive" while City supporters screamed robbery.
Elsewhere in today's top football results
While Anfield stole the global spotlight, the rest of the football world didn't exactly sit quietly.
In North London, Arsenal kept their title hopes alive with a gritty 2-1 home win over Newcastle. Bukayo Saka coolly converted a 34th-minute penalty after Martin Ødegaard was clipped in the box, before Gabriel Jesus doubled the lead in the 63rd minute with a poacher's finish from a scramble off a corner. Newcastle's late fightback came via a thunderbolt from Alexander Isak in the 82nd minute, but Arsenal held on. Saka was everywhere – drawing fouls, creating chances – while Jesus' work rate drove Newcastle’s centre-backs mad.
Over in Spain, Real Madrid survived a scare in LaLiga, drawing 1-1 away to Real Betis. Jude Bellingham opened the scoring on 41 minutes with a glancing header from a Vinícius Júnior cross, but missed a massive one-on-one in stoppage time that could have sealed the points. Betis punished Madrid's wastefulness with a late leveller from Borja Iglesias in the 88th minute. Bellingham was still one of the best on the pitch, but that missed chance will sting in the Champions League build-up.
Title race shockwaves & live table context
Liverpool's 3-2 win flips the Premier League story for the week. City drop crucial points, Arsenal breathe down both their necks, and suddenly every fixture feels like a mini-final. Liverpool leapfrog City in the race – at least for now – and the pressure on Guardiola ramps up as the schedule piles up with Champions League ties looming.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
Glance at that live table and you see how razor-thin the margins are. A single Salah screamer, a single Haaland miss, and suddenly the entire top of the league is rearranged. Every goal today had table implications – and that's exactly why this season feels unmissable.
Social Media Spotlight: Liverpool vs Man City
The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans losing it over the overturned VAR penalty on Haaland
The hashtag #LIVMCI is basically a war zone right now. Clips of Salah's winner are everywhere, slowed down, zoomed in, meme'd to death. City fans are sharing stills of the supposed penalty incident, insisting there was enough contact for the original spot-kick. Neutrals? They're just spamming "What a game" and sharing compilations of every big chance.
Reporter's Take: Brutally honest verdict
From my seat, this felt like Liverpool announcing, loudly, that they're not scared of anyone. In my opinion, the way they hunted City in packs – especially around Rodri and the centre-backs – was the real match-winner. Jürgen Klopp (or whoever is on the touchline now for Liverpool) out-chaosed Guardiola, and that's not something you say often.
City will talk about the VAR call, but honestly, they'll know deep down they didn't control the decisive phases. When Haaland misses a late sitter and De Bruyne fades physically, you're in trouble. Those two usually bury these evenings without mercy. Today, it was Liverpool’s stars – Salah and Núñez – who showed the colder blood in front of goal.
Arsenal fans, meanwhile, will be quietly buzzing. Saka just keeps turning up in big pressure moments, and if Jesus stays fit, that front line has enough chaos and quality to push this all the way. Add Real Madrid dropping points in LaLiga and you've got a Champions League news angle too: the giants are wobbling at the exact moment knockout football is arriving.
Closing whistle: Don't blink, this season is wild
So yeah, if you came looking for Football results today, you picked a ridiculous day to tune in. Salah firing Liverpool back into the heart of the title fight, Haaland and City suddenly looking human, Arsenal grinding, Madrid slipping – every league table in Europe just twitched.
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.
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