Liverpool vs Man City goes wild: Anfield chaos, title race live on edge

Liverpool edge Man City in a thriller as Haaland fires but Salah answers back. Late drama, VAR chaos and the title race swings – but is it really over?

Kick-off! As of today, 2026-01-24, the pitch is on fire... Did you see that?? If you were searching for football results today and looked away for even five minutes, you probably missed three goals, a VAR meltdown, and a title race twist at Anfield. Liverpool vs Manchester City delivered exactly what we hoped: chaos, class, and pure Premier League live drama.

Liverpool 3-2 Manchester City – Salah steals the show, Haaland left raging

Anfield under the lights, the title race on a knife edge, and two of the world's deadliest forwards on display. This one exploded from the first whistle. Manchester City actually struck first: Erling Haaland did what Erling Haaland does, bullying his marker and smashing home the opener after a clever cut-back from Kevin De Bruyne. That was Haaland's trademark – one touch, bang, bottom corner. City fans were already spamming the timeline with #Haaland GOAT debates.

Liverpool, though, didn't blink. Mohamed Salah dragged them level with a ruthless finish inside the box, reacting first to a loose ball after Darwin Núñez crashed a header off the bar. Salah took one touch to set it, second touch to lash it past the keeper. That goal lit up the stadium and flipped the whole mood – suddenly it felt like City were the ones hanging on.

Then came the first big flashpoint: a controversial penalty. Phil Foden thought he'd put City back in front with a crisp strike from the edge, but VAR pulled it back for a handball in the build-up. Seconds later, on the other end, Núñez went down under contact from Rúben Dias. After a long VAR check, the ref pointed to the spot. Up stepped Salah, ice cold. He sent the keeper the wrong way for his second of the night, and Anfield exploded while social media melted down over the double VAR swing.

City weren't done. After the break, Bernardo Silva slid a perfect pass into Haaland, who held off his man and squared it across for Julián Álvarez to tap in. Álvarez coolly made it 2-2, and suddenly we were back to a shootout, end-to-end and straight into classic status.

The winner? Pure drama. With the game drifting towards a draw, Liverpool pushed one last time. Super-sub Diogo Jota ghosted inside, combined with Alexis Mac Allister, and the ball broke perfectly for Dominik Szoboszlai on the edge of the area. One touch to set, one outrageous strike into the top corner. 3-2. Anfield rocked, Pep was frozen on the touchline, and the title race just took a massive hit for City.

On the star-power scorecard: Salah was an absolute hero with two goals and big-game aura all over the pitch. Haaland got his goal and an assist, but he also cut a frustrated figure late on as Liverpool defenders doubled up and City's supply line went patchy. De Bruyne had his moments but faded. On the flip side, Szoboszlai and Mac Allister were buzzing, snapping into tackles and driving Liverpool forward all night.

How today's football results shake the title race

With this win, Liverpool crank up the pressure at the top. City, who were hunting down first place, now stare at a gap that suddenly feels huge in such a tight season. Points dropped in a direct head-to-head like this can haunt you in May.

Elsewhere in the Premier League, Arsenal kept themselves alive in the race with a controlled home win, driven by goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus. Both were sharp, but Saka in particular looked untouchable on that right flank, twisting full-backs inside out. Over in the chase for Europe, Tottenham leaned on Son Heung-min again; he slid in a calm finish after a slick counter-attack to keep Spurs firmly in the top-four conversation.

When you stack up all the football results today, the table is moving like crazy: Liverpool's win over City tilts the balance, Arsenal refuse to go away, and Spurs sniff around the Champions League spots. Every dropped point from now on feels like a mini-crisis for the top sides.

What does this mean for the title race? Liverpool's three points don't just hurt City, they also keep Arsenal and the chasing pack believing. Goal difference, head-to-head records, and those brutal winter draws are all going to matter. Want to see it live, updated in real time? Click here for the live standings

Champions League vibes & top scorers today

Even with the domestic madness, everyone's watching how these performances echo into Europe. Salah, Haaland, and the rest of the elite attackers are battling not just for league glory but for Golden Boots and Champions League momentum.

Salah's brace today doesn't just keep Liverpool alive in the title fight – it also sharpens him up ahead of the next Champions League nights, where his record is already ridiculous. Haaland, even in defeat, keeps stacking numbers that look like a video game. You know those Champions League news headlines will be all about how these two carry their clubs into the knockout stages.

And with Premier League live action flowing into midweek European fixtures, top scorers today could easily become the heroes (or villains) of the next round under the lights abroad.

Social Media Spotlight: VAR chaos, screamer winner, and instant memes

The real-time reaction to this Liverpool vs Man City classic is absolutely wild. The hot topic blowing up timelines? That double VAR swing – City's disallowed goal for handball and Liverpool's penalty seconds later. Fans are split down the middle: some say justice, others say robbery. Mix in Szoboszlai's screamer and Haaland's glare at the ref, and you've got pure viral fuel.

My take: Klopp-ball lives, City look human

From a young reporter's seat, here's the blunt truth: this looked like vintage Liverpool versus a strangely mortal Manchester City. The press, the tempo, the chaos – Liverpool thrived in it, City got dragged into a street fight they didn't really want. In my opinion, City's game management late on was way off. With Haaland, De Bruyne, Foden, and Álvarez on the pitch, they should never let the match become that open in the final 10 minutes.

Credit to Liverpool, though. Salah was world-class and played like he absolutely refused to leave that pitch without three points. Szoboszlai's winner wasn't just a great goal, it was a statement: this Liverpool midfield reboot is for real. Defensively they still look chaotic at times, but the energy, the belief, and the crowd carried them through.

For City, it's not meltdown territory yet, but the aura of complete control is slipping. Haaland scored and still leaves with that furious expression – not at his own display, but at the lack of control behind him. If Pep doesn't tighten things up fast, this season could turn from "routine title charge" into "chasing shadows".

What's next?

We're heading into that brutal stretch of the season where every fixture feels like a final. The football league table is going to keep twisting week after week, especially with the top sides still juggling European nights, cup ties, and injuries.

If you're trying to make sense of all the football results today – from Salah's brace to Son's clinical finish and Haaland's bittersweet goal – you need to see how it all stacks up in the standings and the stats.

Check full stats & standings now

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