Liverpool v Man City live thriller: Anfield erupts as title race flips
07.02.2026 - 09:01:04
Liverpool 2-1 Manchester City – Salah the ice-cold closer
If you're hunting for football results today, start here. Liverpool came from behind to beat Manchester City 2-1 in a wild, high-tempo clash that could tilt the title race.
City struck first. In the 18th minute, Erling Haaland did exactly what Erling Haaland does: one touch to control a Bernardo Silva pass on the edge of the box, second touch a ruthless low finish into the bottom corner. Alisson had no chance. 1-0 City, and the away end went berserk.
Liverpool answered with pure chaos-ball. On 34 minutes, Darwin Núñez bullied his way between Rúben Dias and John Stones to meet a whipped Andy Robertson cross, powering a header past Ederson to make it 1-1. Classic Darwin: unpredictable, unstoppable, and absolutely vital.
The roof really came off in the second half. City thought they'd retaken the lead in the 57th minute when Haaland tapped in from close range after a De Bruyne cut-back, but VAR spent a long, painful two minutes checking the build-up. The decision? Goal disallowed – Bernardo Silva marginally offside in the phase before the cross. Cue City players raging around the ref and X/Twitter exploding.
That moment changed the whole vibe. Liverpool started playing like a team chasing the title, not just points. Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister took control of midfield, snapping into tackles and driving the ball forward at every chance.
The winner came in the 81st minute and you could feel it building. Núñez spun in behind, Dias clipped him, and the ref initially waved play on. Then came another massive VAR check. After a long look at the replays, the ref marched to the monitor, came back, pointed to the spot – penalty Liverpool.
Mohamed Salah stepped up with all the pressure of the Premier League live spotlight on him. Ederson tried his mind games, waving his arms, pointing to one side. Salah didn't blink. He sent the Brazilian the wrong way with a cool right-footed strike into the left corner. 2-1 Liverpool, Anfield shaking, Salah screaming in front of the Kop.
Stars: heroes and flops under the lights
- Mohamed Salah – Not his most explosive game, but when it mattered, he delivered. One calmly taken winning penalty and several clever runs that kept City's back line on edge. Pure clutch.
- Erling Haaland – Scored one, had another ruled out, but weirdly still feels like he left something out there. Liverpool defenders doubled and sometimes tripled him, and in the final 20 minutes he barely had a sniff.
- Kevin De Bruyne – Sprayed passes, created the disallowed goal, but faded as Liverpool turned the game into a physical, emotional scrap. Dangerous, but not decisive.
- Darwin Núñez – Goal, penalty won, endless chaos. On nights like this, he looks like the nightmare forward nobody wants to defend.
Elsewhere in the league – top scorers today step up
Across the league, other big names were busy padding their numbers. Arsenal stayed in the hunt with a 3-0 home win, featuring a brace from Bukayo Saka and a late strike from Gabriel Jesus. Over in London, Spurs came from behind in a 2-2 draw, with Heung-Min Son banging in a brilliant solo equaliser – slaloming past two defenders before smashing into the far corner.
In European action flavour, Real Madrid's warm-up before their next Champions League news cycle was a narrow win, where Jude Bellingham again showed up in the big moment, arriving late into the box to slot home the only goal. He just lives for drama.
What the result means for the title race
This Liverpool win twists the knife into the table. City lose ground, Liverpool jump above them, and suddenly every neutral is refreshing the football league table like it's transfer deadline day. Arsenal stay right in it too, which means we're staring at a three-way title scrap with zero margin for error.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
Match report snapshot: key moments you need to know
- 18' – Goal Man City: Haaland slots low into the corner after a Bernardo Silva assist.
- 34' – Goal Liverpool: Núñez powers in a header from a Robertson cross.
- 57' – VAR drama: Haaland thinks he's made it 2-1, but Bernardo is ruled offside in the build-up. Goal disallowed.
- 81' – Penalty Liverpool: Núñez clipped by Dias, VAR sends the ref to the monitor, spot-kick given.
- 82' – Goal Liverpool: Salah buries the penalty, sending Ederson the wrong way for 2-1.
- 90+4' – Last chance City: De Bruyne whips in a free-kick, Haaland glances a header just wide. Groans from the away end, bedlam from the home crowd.
Premier League live context: who's on top?
From a pure numbers angle, this felt like a six-pointer. City's usual control deserted them once the VAR call went against them, and their frustration was obvious: Pep gesturing furiously on the touchline, Haaland throwing his arms up after every half-chance.
Liverpool, on the other hand, looked like a side that absolutely believes they can go all the way. Every tackle from Virgil van Dijk felt like a statement, every counter-attack like a threat. With Saka and Arsenal also flying, and Bellingham keeping Real Madrid's momentum intact in Spain, the Champions League news storyline just got even juicier: Europe's best attackers are all peaking at the same time.
The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans melting down over that VAR offside and the late Liverpool penalty
Reporter's take: this felt like a statement win
Honestly, this didn't just look like another three points – it looked like a power shift. In my opinion, City looked rattled in a way we rarely see. Once that second-half goal for Haaland was chalked off, they lost their usual icy control. Too many hopeful crosses, not enough ruthless patterns.
Liverpool, though? That was a team playing like the old-school monsters of Anfield. Núñez is still chaos incarnate, but it's winning chaos. Salah might not be sprinting past three players every attack anymore, but his decision-making and calm in front of goal are world-class. If they keep this level, the title race goes down to the wire.
From a neutral point of view, this is the dream: Haaland chasing records, Salah dragging Liverpool, Saka pulling Arsenal, Bellingham doing Bellingham things in Spain. The season feels like it's on fast-forward and we're just hanging on.
What's next?
Every game from here is basically a mini-final. City now have zero room for slip-ups. Liverpool and Arsenal both know that one bad week can flip everything. And with Champions League knockouts looming, squad depth, rotation, and composure under pressure are about to matter more than ever.
Don't just rely on vibes – check how the numbers look after tonight's madness.
Check full stats & standings now
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