Liverpool vs Man City chaos! Anfield thriller shakes title race live
02.02.2026 - 13:57:18
Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-02, the pitch is on fire... You wanted football results today? You got pure chaos. Anfield just detonated as Liverpool beat Manchester City 2-1 in a heavyweight Premier League live showdown that could completely rewrite the title script.
Did you see that second half? Mo Salah dragging Liverpool by the scruff, Erling Haaland strangely quiet, and a VAR decision that has half of X (Twitter) foaming at the mouth. Let's rip through it all.
City struck first. On 18 minutes, Kevin De Bruyne reminded everyone why he's still the king of the final ball. He floated a wicked cross from the right, and Phil Foden ghosted between the centre-backs to bury a clinical left-foot finish into the far corner. Liverpool stunned, Anfield rattled, City 1-0 up.
But Liverpool didn't panic. On 34 minutes, it was classic Salah. Darwin Núñez bullied Ruben Dias, laid it off, and Mohamed Salah chopped inside from the right and whipped a left-foot rocket into the top corner. Ederson flew, but he was never reaching it. 1-1, Anfield roaring like it was 2019 again.
Second half, the tension just kept rising. Haaland? Honestly, this was one of his quietest nights. He had one huge moment on 52 minutes when De Bruyne slid him through. One-on-one with Alisson, you'd bet your mortgage on him – but he dragged his right-foot finish just wide of the far post. Head in hands, Pep on his knees. Massive let-off.
And that miss looked even bigger when Liverpool flipped the whole game on its head. On 72 minutes, Trent Alexander-Arnold whipped in a wicked low cross, Núñez attacked the near post, the ball ricocheted, and Dominik Szoboszlai pounced. First-time strike, smashed low past Ederson. 2-1 Liverpool, Szoboszlai going wild, Klopp sprinting down the touchline like a madman.
On 88 minutes, Haaland finally bullied his way into the box, nudging the ball past Ibrahima Konaté and going down under contact. Ref pointed to the spot instantly, City players screaming for justice, Liverpool players surrounding the ref. It looked stonewall at first glance.
But then VAR stepped in. After a long review, the call was overturned – deemed minimal contact, Konaté judged to have stood his ground. The penalty was chalked off, Guardiola absolutely fuming on the touchline, slapping the air in disbelief. Anfield erupted like they'd scored a third. That's the moment you're seeing clipped, memed and argued to death all over social media right now.
Haaland walked off at full-time with zero goals and just that missed one-on-one in his highlight reel. For a guy built for these nights, he looked strangely flat. Meanwhile Salah? One goal, relentless pressing, always the danger man. On a stage packed with superstars, he looked the most inevitable one out there.
The midfield battle was where Liverpool really earned it. Szoboszlai not only scored, he snapped into every press, broke lines, and refused to let De Bruyne settle. Alexis Mac Allister quietly bossed the tempo, constantly finding Salah and Núñez in dangerous pockets. For City, Rodri looked isolated at times and Bernardo Silva never quite found the half-spaces he usually thrives in.
Defensively, Virgil van Dijk rolled back the years. He won pretty much every aerial duel against Haaland and cut out two dangerous low crosses. Konaté had a couple of heart-in-mouth moments – especially the non-penalty incident – but his aggression also stopped City breaking through more than once.
On the flip side, Dias and Akanji struggled to deal with Núñez's chaos. He didn't get on the scoresheet, but his movement dragged City all over the place and created the space Salah and Szoboszlai feasted on. Those little details are what decide title races in May, and Liverpool nailed them tonight.
In Spain, Real Madrid edged a tight 1-0 win at home, and of course it was Jude Bellingham again. He arrived late in the box on 64 minutes to smash home a loose ball after Vinícius Júnior's shot was blocked. Not his flashiest goal, but pure No. 10 instincts. Once again, when Madrid needed a hero, it was Bellingham. The kid just won't stop dragging them over the line.
In France, PSG rolled to a 3-1 victory, and Kylian Mbappé put on a classic superstar performance. He opened the scoring with a cool right-footed finish after burning his marker down the left, then added a second from the spot on 71 minutes. Two goals, constant threat, defenders terrified every time he touched it. Exactly what you expect from a player flirting with Ballon d'Or levels every season.
In my opinion, Guardiola has a decision to make with Haaland in big games like this. You obviously never drop him, but the structure around him didn't give him enough. Too many hopeful crosses, not enough runners off him. When City are at their best, Haaland is the finisher, not the entire plan. Tonight, it felt like they were forcing it his way instead of letting De Bruyne and Foden naturally create chaos.
On the other side, Klopp deserves serious credit. Pushing Szoboszlai higher, trusting Núñez to cause mayhem, and leaning into Anfield's chaos energy worked perfectly. Tactically smart, emotionally electric – that's the Liverpool formula when they're at full power.
And this is only going to get wilder from here. Every game will feel like a final, every dropped point a mini-disaster. Want to see exactly how tight it is now and who's creeping up behind the big two?
Did you see that second half? Mo Salah dragging Liverpool by the scruff, Erling Haaland strangely quiet, and a VAR decision that has half of X (Twitter) foaming at the mouth. Let's rip through it all.
Liverpool 2-1 Manchester City – Salah shows up, Haaland disappears
This felt like a Champions League knockout, but it was Premier League madness with everything on the line.City struck first. On 18 minutes, Kevin De Bruyne reminded everyone why he's still the king of the final ball. He floated a wicked cross from the right, and Phil Foden ghosted between the centre-backs to bury a clinical left-foot finish into the far corner. Liverpool stunned, Anfield rattled, City 1-0 up.
But Liverpool didn't panic. On 34 minutes, it was classic Salah. Darwin Núñez bullied Ruben Dias, laid it off, and Mohamed Salah chopped inside from the right and whipped a left-foot rocket into the top corner. Ederson flew, but he was never reaching it. 1-1, Anfield roaring like it was 2019 again.
Second half, the tension just kept rising. Haaland? Honestly, this was one of his quietest nights. He had one huge moment on 52 minutes when De Bruyne slid him through. One-on-one with Alisson, you'd bet your mortgage on him – but he dragged his right-foot finish just wide of the far post. Head in hands, Pep on his knees. Massive let-off.
And that miss looked even bigger when Liverpool flipped the whole game on its head. On 72 minutes, Trent Alexander-Arnold whipped in a wicked low cross, Núñez attacked the near post, the ball ricocheted, and Dominik Szoboszlai pounced. First-time strike, smashed low past Ederson. 2-1 Liverpool, Szoboszlai going wild, Klopp sprinting down the touchline like a madman.
The VAR flashpoint everyone's losing it over
The hot topic? No doubt: the late City penalty that wasn't.On 88 minutes, Haaland finally bullied his way into the box, nudging the ball past Ibrahima Konaté and going down under contact. Ref pointed to the spot instantly, City players screaming for justice, Liverpool players surrounding the ref. It looked stonewall at first glance.
But then VAR stepped in. After a long review, the call was overturned – deemed minimal contact, Konaté judged to have stood his ground. The penalty was chalked off, Guardiola absolutely fuming on the touchline, slapping the air in disbelief. Anfield erupted like they'd scored a third. That's the moment you're seeing clipped, memed and argued to death all over social media right now.
Haaland walked off at full-time with zero goals and just that missed one-on-one in his highlight reel. For a guy built for these nights, he looked strangely flat. Meanwhile Salah? One goal, relentless pressing, always the danger man. On a stage packed with superstars, he looked the most inevitable one out there.
Title race twist: Liverpool leap, City wobble
This result is huge. Liverpool's win sends them top and pushes City into chase mode again. The momentum swing is very real: Klopp's side look energized, while Pep's men suddenly feel mortal, especially with Haaland misfiring on a massive night.The midfield battle was where Liverpool really earned it. Szoboszlai not only scored, he snapped into every press, broke lines, and refused to let De Bruyne settle. Alexis Mac Allister quietly bossed the tempo, constantly finding Salah and Núñez in dangerous pockets. For City, Rodri looked isolated at times and Bernardo Silva never quite found the half-spaces he usually thrives in.
Defensively, Virgil van Dijk rolled back the years. He won pretty much every aerial duel against Haaland and cut out two dangerous low crosses. Konaté had a couple of heart-in-mouth moments – especially the non-penalty incident – but his aggression also stopped City breaking through more than once.
On the flip side, Dias and Akanji struggled to deal with Núñez's chaos. He didn't get on the scoresheet, but his movement dragged City all over the place and created the space Salah and Szoboszlai feasted on. Those little details are what decide title races in May, and Liverpool nailed them tonight.
What does this mean for the title race? Liverpool jump into the driving seat, City are suddenly looking over their shoulder, and every dropped point from here feels like a mini-crisis. Click here for the live standings
Elsewhere in Europe: Bellingham and Mbappé keep the stars shining
While Anfield was melting down, the other giants of Europe did their thing too.In Spain, Real Madrid edged a tight 1-0 win at home, and of course it was Jude Bellingham again. He arrived late in the box on 64 minutes to smash home a loose ball after Vinícius Júnior's shot was blocked. Not his flashiest goal, but pure No. 10 instincts. Once again, when Madrid needed a hero, it was Bellingham. The kid just won't stop dragging them over the line.
In France, PSG rolled to a 3-1 victory, and Kylian Mbappé put on a classic superstar performance. He opened the scoring with a cool right-footed finish after burning his marker down the left, then added a second from the spot on 71 minutes. Two goals, constant threat, defenders terrified every time he touched it. Exactly what you expect from a player flirting with Ballon d'Or levels every season.
Social Media Spotlight – the web can't shut up about that VAR call
You can feel it online: tonight isn't just about the scoreline, it's about that Konaté vs Haaland moment and whether City were robbed or not.The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans furious over the late VAR penalty reversal at Anfield
My take: this felt like a power shift
From a young reporter's eye-test, this didn't just look like a random big win – it looked like a statement. Liverpool played like a team that actually believes they can rip the title back, while City had that tiny hint of doubt you rarely see from them.In my opinion, Guardiola has a decision to make with Haaland in big games like this. You obviously never drop him, but the structure around him didn't give him enough. Too many hopeful crosses, not enough runners off him. When City are at their best, Haaland is the finisher, not the entire plan. Tonight, it felt like they were forcing it his way instead of letting De Bruyne and Foden naturally create chaos.
On the other side, Klopp deserves serious credit. Pushing Szoboszlai higher, trusting Núñez to cause mayhem, and leaning into Anfield's chaos energy worked perfectly. Tactically smart, emotionally electric – that's the Liverpool formula when they're at full power.
Closing whistle: title race on turbo mode
So if you were hunting for football results today, you didn't just get a result – you got a potential turning point in the whole season. Salah the hero, Haaland the nearly man, VAR the villain (depending on which shirt you wear).And this is only going to get wilder from here. Every game will feel like a final, every dropped point a mini-disaster. Want to see exactly how tight it is now and who's creeping up behind the big two?
Check full stats & standings now
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