Liverpool vs Man City goes wild: Anfield thriller shakes title race live
02.02.2026 - 23:34:02
Liverpool 3–2 Manchester City – Salah steps up, Haaland punished, VAR in the spotlight
This one had everything: superstar goals, chaos at the back, and a VAR call everyone 27s arguing about right now.
Manchester City drew first blood on 14 minutes. A slick move down the left saw Phil Foden cut inside and slide a pass into Erling Haaland. You give Haaland half a yard, you 27re dead 2d he smashed a low left-foot finish into the bottom corner, 0 2d1, Alisson rooted. That 27s Haaland doing exactly what you expect: ice-cold, bullying centre-backs, feeding off tiny mistakes.
Liverpool 27s response? Furious. On 29 minutes, Trent Alexander-Arnold whipped in a devilish cross, City only half-cleared, and the ball dropped to Darwin Núñez. First-time strike, top corner, 1 2d1. Núñez looked like a man on a mission tonight 2d constant runs in behind, dragging City 27s line all over the place.
Right before half-time, Anfield exploded. In the 44th minute, Mohamed Salah got isolated on the right, chopped inside on his left and curled one past Ederson from the edge of the box. Vintage Salah. 2 2d1 Liverpool, and the place absolutely shook.
Second-half chaos: De Bruyne magic, Salah from the spot
City didn 27t lie down. On 63 minutes, Kevin De Bruyne reminded everyone he 27s still a cheat code. He ghosted into space between the lines, exchanged a one-two with Bernardo Silva and lasered a right-foot shot in off the post. 2 2d2, and suddenly it felt like City might steamroll the final half hour.
But then came the moment everyone 27s talking about. On 78 minutes, Núñez burst into the box and tangled with Rúben Dias. Initially, the ref waved play on as the ball broke to Salah and was cleared. Then VAR buzzed in. After a long check that had both benches losing it, the ref went to the monitor and pointed to the spot. Soft? Stonewall? Depends who you support.
Salah didn 27t care. On 81 minutes, he stepped up, sent Ederson the wrong way and buried the penalty low to the keeper 27s right. 3 2d2 Liverpool. That 27s Mohamed Salah again, dragging his team over the line with two massive goals on the night.
Heroes and flops: how the superstars actually played
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) 2d Clear man of the match. Two goals (one worldie, one ice-cold pen), nonstop pressing, and he kept pinning City 27s full-backs deep. When Liverpool needed a big moment, he delivered.
- Darwin Núñez (Liverpool) 2d One goal, won the crucial penalty, and generally terrorized the City back line. Still a bit chaotic, but this is the chaos Jürgen Klopp absolutely lives for.
- Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) 2d Defensively exposed a couple of times by Foden, but his delivery for Núñez 27s goal changed the momentum of the match.
- Erling Haaland (Man City) 2d Scores early like a machine, fades late. After his opener, Liverpool tightened up on the service and he barely got a clean look in the second half. Still, one chance, one goal 2d you can 27t really call him a flop.
- Kevin De Bruyne (Man City) 2d Class. One brilliant goal, some outrageous passes sprayed around, but he couldn 27t quite drag City back a second time.
- Rúben Dias (Man City) 2d Rock for most of the game but his challenge on Núñez for the penalty is exactly what the internet is melting down over. Too tight? Unlucky? Careless? It cost City a point.
What this does to the Premier League table
This result is massive. Liverpool jump above City and crank up the pressure at the top. City, who looked like they might cruise after Haaland 27s opener, now suddenly have to chase again, with Arsenal and others just lurking behind. The gap between first and third is razor-thin, and every draw now feels like a defeat in this race.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
Elsewhere in Europe: quick-fire football results today
While Anfield grabbed all the headlines, there was drama all over the continent too.
- La Liga: Real Madrid edged a gritty 1 2d0 away win, with Jude Bellingham once again the difference, sliding home a late winner after ghosting into the box from deep. Not his flashiest game, but the timing? Pure clutch.
- Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain rolled to a 3 2d1 victory, with Kylian Mbappé bagging a brace 2d one ruthless counter-attack finish and one penalty 2d plus an assist for the third. Defenders know what he 27s going to do, and still can 27t stop him.
- Serie A: A cagey 0 2d0 at the top, where the keepers were the real stars and strikers had a night to forget. No goals, but plenty of nerves for anyone watching the football league table shuffle.
Social Media Spotlight: VAR fury and Salah worship
The internet has absolutely detonated over that late penalty at Anfield. Some fans are calling it a dive, others say Dias had no business lunging in like that. Meanwhile, Salah 27s highlights are being clipped and shared at light speed.
The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans furious over the late VAR penalty call at Anfield
My take: title statement and big questions for City
In my opinion, this felt like a proper statement win from Liverpool. When you beat the champions in a 3 2d2 thriller, with your star man scoring twice and your chaotic striker winning the big penalty, that 27s pure momentum. Salah looked like a leader who refuses to let this season drift. Núñez was wild but decisive. Anfield under the lights on a night like this? Good luck surviving that.
For City, there 27s a slightly worrying pattern. They still dominate huge spells, but small lapses at the back keep killing them. Haaland will always get goals, and De Bruyne will always create, but when Dias is the main character because of a VAR check, that 27s not the script Pep wants. You sense he 27ll be absolutely fuming about the defending on all three goals, not just the penalty.
And in the bigger picture of Champions League news and soccer news in general: results like this matter psychologically. The rest of Europe is watching. Today 27s Premier League live drama will echo into those midweek European nights when the pressure really bites.
Closing whistle: buckle up, this race is wild
If you came looking for calm, you picked the wrong day. With Liverpool edging City, Bellingham nicking late points in Spain, and Mbappé going full cheat-mode in France, the top end of Europe is pure chaos right now. Every goal tonight twisted the football league table just a little more.
Don 27t just live off the drama 2d check what it actually means. Who 27s top? Who 27s slipping? Who 27s suddenly back in the title talk?
Check full stats & standings now
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