Liverpool stun City in late thriller – Anfield chaos as title race goes live
21.02.2026 - 21:06:02 | ad-hoc-news.de
Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-21, the pitch is on fire... You wanted football results today? You got absolute chaos. The headline act: Liverpool 3–2 Manchester City at a roaring Anfield, a match that felt like a full-on Champions League knockout tie dropped into the Premier League live calendar.
The MAIN_KEYWORD "Football results today" barely does justice to what went down. Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland both hit the net, the crossbar probably still vibrating, and a huge late VAR call had the whole internet melting down. If you blinked, you missed drama.
9' – 1–0 Liverpool: Anfield erupts early. Trent Alexander-Arnold zips a diagonal ball into the channel, Darwin Núñez barges past his marker and cuts it back. Mohamed Salah, ice-cold as always, side-foots first time into the far corner. Ederson gets a touch, but it's nowhere near enough. Salah makes it look routine, but that movement into the box is world class.
23' – 1–1 Manchester City: Of course, Erling Haaland answers. Kevin De Bruyne, who had been a bit quiet early on, suddenly finds half a yard. He whips a devilish cross between Alisson and the centre-backs, and Haaland does what Haaland does – bullies his marker and powers a header home. Classic No. 9 finish, and City are level just like that.
41' – 2–1 Liverpool: Huge moment. Luis Díaz, who had been terrorising the right flank, cuts inside and smashes one that Ederson can only parry. The rebound falls straight to Dominik Szoboszlai on the edge of the box, and he lashes it low through a crowd of bodies. Deflection? Maybe a slight nick, but it's his goal. Anfield erupts again, Szoboszlai wheels off towards the Kop, fists pumping.
58' – 2–2 Manchester City: Phil Foden grabs the stage. Rodri wins a duel in midfield, slips it into Bernardo Silva, and he threads Foden through the half-space. One touch out of his feet, then a wicked low drive across goal into the far corner. Alisson gets nowhere near it. Pure quality from Foden – again showing why he's one of the most complete attackers in Europe right now.
From there, it turns into end-to-end madness. Salah nearly scores a screamer from 25 yards, Haaland has a header tipped over by Alisson, and De Bruyne forces another save from a free-kick.
74' – VAR drama (disallowed City goal): Here's the flashpoint that has social media raging. City think they've nicked it when Haaland taps in from close range after a De Bruyne cut-back. The away end explodes, Pep Guardiola is sprinting down the touchline – and then the familiar rectangle gesture. VAR check. The replay shows Manuel Akanji just offside and blocking Alisson's line of sight in the build-up. After a long, tense delay, the ref chalks it off. No goal. That's the hot topic everywhere: was Akanji really interfering, or did Liverpool just get away with one?
Salah walks off the pitch with two goals and one assist, the clear hero. Haaland, despite his first-half goal, fades a bit late on and spends the final minutes frustrated, arms up at teammates and the ref. De Bruyne shows flashes of genius but can't drag City back again. On the balance of it, Liverpool just wanted it more in those last 20 minutes.
Liverpool's pressing game looked like peak Klopp-ball again, while City's usual calm under pressure cracked just enough. It's one of those results that can define a run-in – emotionally as much as mathematically.
Arsenal 2–0 Chelsea: At the Emirates, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus did the damage. Saka opened the scoring with a cool left-footed finish after cutting in from the right, while Jesus buried a close-range header from a Martin Ødegaard cross. Ødegaard pulled the strings all game – his vision between the lines was ridiculous – and Chelsea's big names just didn't show up. Enzo Fernández struggled to control midfield, and Raheem Sterling barely had a sniff. Arsenal stay firmly in the title conversation.
Real Madrid 3–1 Valencia: Over in La Liga, Jude Bellingham was back on his superstar grind. He scored twice – first a late-arriving run into the box to finish a Vinícius Júnior cut-back, then a towering header from a Toni Kroos corner. Rodrygo added the third with a curling effort from distance. Bellingham's impact on this Madrid team is insane: goals, leadership, swagger. He's turned into the guy for the Bernabéu, and it shows in every big match. Valencia nicked a consolation, but Madrid were never really in trouble.
PSG 4–1 Lyon: In Ligue 1, Kylian Mbappé delivered a masterclass. A hat-trick – one on the break, one from the spot, and one outrageous solo run where he beat two defenders and dinked the keeper – plus an assist for Ousmane Dembélé. Lyon's backline just couldn't live with his pace and timing. When Mbappé plays with that kind of freedom, Ligue 1 honestly looks like a training ground for him.
If you scroll through that X hashtag, it's wall-to-wall freeze-frames of Akanji's position, people drawing lines on screenshots like amateur VAR officials. On the flip side, Liverpool fans are spamming Salah "King" edits and posting clips of his late winner from about 50 different angles. It's pure football internet at maximum volume.
Salah was absolutely world class – two clinical goals, one assist, nonstop movement. He's the difference between a good team and a terrifying one. Haaland, for all his goals, still looks human when the supply line stutters. Without clean service from De Bruyne and Foden late on, he drifted out of the game.
In my opinion, this result puts massive pressure on Pep and City's "machine" narrative. They're still elite, still stacked with stars, but this is a reminder: in the Premier League live title race, there's zero margin for off days, especially at Anfield.
If you're trying to keep track of how Liverpool's win vs City reshuffles the Premier League deck, you need to keep one tab open at all times:
The MAIN_KEYWORD "Football results today" barely does justice to what went down. Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland both hit the net, the crossbar probably still vibrating, and a huge late VAR call had the whole internet melting down. If you blinked, you missed drama.
Liverpool 3–2 Manchester City – Salah vs Haaland and a wild ending
From the first whistle, this felt different. Liverpool pressed like their lives depended on it, City tried to calm it down with their usual slick passing – and then the goals exploded.9' – 1–0 Liverpool: Anfield erupts early. Trent Alexander-Arnold zips a diagonal ball into the channel, Darwin Núñez barges past his marker and cuts it back. Mohamed Salah, ice-cold as always, side-foots first time into the far corner. Ederson gets a touch, but it's nowhere near enough. Salah makes it look routine, but that movement into the box is world class.
23' – 1–1 Manchester City: Of course, Erling Haaland answers. Kevin De Bruyne, who had been a bit quiet early on, suddenly finds half a yard. He whips a devilish cross between Alisson and the centre-backs, and Haaland does what Haaland does – bullies his marker and powers a header home. Classic No. 9 finish, and City are level just like that.
41' – 2–1 Liverpool: Huge moment. Luis Díaz, who had been terrorising the right flank, cuts inside and smashes one that Ederson can only parry. The rebound falls straight to Dominik Szoboszlai on the edge of the box, and he lashes it low through a crowd of bodies. Deflection? Maybe a slight nick, but it's his goal. Anfield erupts again, Szoboszlai wheels off towards the Kop, fists pumping.
Second-half mayhem: City's fightback and the VAR storm
If you thought City were done, you haven't been paying attention the last few years.58' – 2–2 Manchester City: Phil Foden grabs the stage. Rodri wins a duel in midfield, slips it into Bernardo Silva, and he threads Foden through the half-space. One touch out of his feet, then a wicked low drive across goal into the far corner. Alisson gets nowhere near it. Pure quality from Foden – again showing why he's one of the most complete attackers in Europe right now.
From there, it turns into end-to-end madness. Salah nearly scores a screamer from 25 yards, Haaland has a header tipped over by Alisson, and De Bruyne forces another save from a free-kick.
74' – VAR drama (disallowed City goal): Here's the flashpoint that has social media raging. City think they've nicked it when Haaland taps in from close range after a De Bruyne cut-back. The away end explodes, Pep Guardiola is sprinting down the touchline – and then the familiar rectangle gesture. VAR check. The replay shows Manuel Akanji just offside and blocking Alisson's line of sight in the build-up. After a long, tense delay, the ref chalks it off. No goal. That's the hot topic everywhere: was Akanji really interfering, or did Liverpool just get away with one?
88' – 3–2 Liverpool: Anfield earthquake
This place lives for late drama, and it got one more dose. Harvey Elliott, fresh off the bench, drifts between the lines and combines with Salah. Quick one-two, ball pops out to Andy Robertson on the overlap. Low driven cross, Darwin Núñez throws himself at it – blocked – and the rebound falls kindly for Salah again. He doesn't miss. Low, ruthless finish into the corner, brace completed, Anfield absolutely shaking.Salah walks off the pitch with two goals and one assist, the clear hero. Haaland, despite his first-half goal, fades a bit late on and spends the final minutes frustrated, arms up at teammates and the ref. De Bruyne shows flashes of genius but can't drag City back again. On the balance of it, Liverpool just wanted it more in those last 20 minutes.
Title race twist – and where the table stands
So what do these football results today actually mean for the bigger picture? Liverpool's win swings momentum in the title race. City drop crucial points, and Liverpool leapfrog them in the standings – at least for now. Arsenal and the chasing pack will be watching this like hawks, knowing that every dropped point from these two giants changes the whole equation.Liverpool's pressing game looked like peak Klopp-ball again, while City's usual calm under pressure cracked just enough. It's one of those results that can define a run-in – emotionally as much as mathematically.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
Elsewhere in today's football results
While Anfield stole the spotlight, the rest of Europe didn't exactly take the day off either.Arsenal 2–0 Chelsea: At the Emirates, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus did the damage. Saka opened the scoring with a cool left-footed finish after cutting in from the right, while Jesus buried a close-range header from a Martin Ødegaard cross. Ødegaard pulled the strings all game – his vision between the lines was ridiculous – and Chelsea's big names just didn't show up. Enzo Fernández struggled to control midfield, and Raheem Sterling barely had a sniff. Arsenal stay firmly in the title conversation.
Real Madrid 3–1 Valencia: Over in La Liga, Jude Bellingham was back on his superstar grind. He scored twice – first a late-arriving run into the box to finish a Vinícius Júnior cut-back, then a towering header from a Toni Kroos corner. Rodrygo added the third with a curling effort from distance. Bellingham's impact on this Madrid team is insane: goals, leadership, swagger. He's turned into the guy for the Bernabéu, and it shows in every big match. Valencia nicked a consolation, but Madrid were never really in trouble.
PSG 4–1 Lyon: In Ligue 1, Kylian Mbappé delivered a masterclass. A hat-trick – one on the break, one from the spot, and one outrageous solo run where he beat two defenders and dinked the keeper – plus an assist for Ousmane Dembélé. Lyon's backline just couldn't live with his pace and timing. When Mbappé plays with that kind of freedom, Ligue 1 honestly looks like a training ground for him.
Social Media Spotlight: Anfield meltdown and memes
Everyone online is locked in on that disallowed Haaland goal and Salah's late winner. The VAR call on Manuel Akanji's offside position is the full-blown Hot Topic – City fans furious, Liverpool fans saying it's "clear as day", neutrals arguing over the angle freeze-frames like it's a courtroom.The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans furious and divided over the VAR offside that denied Haaland
My take: Statement win, pressure on Pep
Here's the honest verdict: this felt like a statement win from Liverpool, and a worrying wobble from City. Tactically, Guardiola's side looked rattled by the intensity. When Liverpool cranked up the press in the final 20 minutes, City didn't have their usual icy control. Too many cheap giveaways, not enough composure from the back line.Salah was absolutely world class – two clinical goals, one assist, nonstop movement. He's the difference between a good team and a terrifying one. Haaland, for all his goals, still looks human when the supply line stutters. Without clean service from De Bruyne and Foden late on, he drifted out of the game.
In my opinion, this result puts massive pressure on Pep and City's "machine" narrative. They're still elite, still stacked with stars, but this is a reminder: in the Premier League live title race, there's zero margin for off days, especially at Anfield.
Closing whistle – where do we go from here?
So there you have it: Salah heroics, Haaland controversy, Bellingham brilliance, Mbappé domination – football results today delivered on every front. And the ripple effect across the league tables is huge. Every point, every goal, every VAR decision is shaping who lifts trophies and who gets left behind.If you're trying to keep track of how Liverpool's win vs City reshuffles the Premier League deck, you need to keep one tab open at all times:
Check full stats & standings now
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