Liverpool vs Man City live chaos: last-gasp drama shakes Premier League race

Liverpool edge Man City in a wild finish as Salah steps up, Haaland misfires and the title race twists again. Did VAR get the key call right?

Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-22, the pitch is on fire... Did you see that Liverpool vs Manchester City finish at Anfield? If you were searching for football results today, this one is the headline grabber: Liverpool 2-1 Manchester City in a late, late thriller that just flipped the Premier League live title race on its head.

From first whistle to last, this was chaos in the best possible way. Anfield under the lights, the league leaders in town, world-class stars everywhere – and a result that will echo all across Europe tonight.

Liverpool 2-1 Manchester City – Salah delivers, Haaland blanks

Liverpool struck first after a frantic opening. On 19 minutes, a slick move down the right opened City up: Trent Alexander-Arnold fizzed a low ball into the box, Darwin Núñez cleverly dummied, and Mohamed Salah crashed a left-footed finish into the far corner. 1-0, and Anfield absolutely exploded.

City hit back before the break. On 37 minutes, Kevin De Bruyne curled in one of those trademark teasing crosses, and Erling Haaland – who had been quiet until then – bullied his way between two defenders to nod home from close range. 1-1, game on, and you thought we were heading for a tense, tactical second half.

Instead, it went off the rails in the final 20 minutes. Liverpool pressed higher, the tempo cranked up, and chances started flying. Haaland had a golden opportunity on 64 minutes – slipped through by Phil Foden – but Alisson flew off his line to make a monstrous one-on-one save. That moment felt massive.

Then came the controversy. On 82 minutes, Núñez went down in the box under a challenge from Rúben Dias. The referee initially waved play on, but VAR called him to the screen. Replays showed Dias making contact with Núñez's shin before getting the ball – borderline, messy, the exact sort of incident that melts social media. After a long look, the ref pointed to the spot. City players went nuts, Guardiola lost it on the touchline, and Anfield smelled blood.

Who else but Mohamed Salah? The Egyptian king stepped up and absolutely smashed the penalty into the top-right corner on 85 minutes, sending Ederson the wrong way. 2-1 Liverpool, Salah at the double, and the title race suddenly tilting red.

Haaland, by contrast, will be fuming. Yes, he scored, but in the moments that really mattered he fluffed his lines – another big chance skied over the bar in stoppage time, and generally bullied more by Ibrahima Konaté and Virgil van Dijk than you usually see. On a night when the whole world was watching, Salah looked like the ruthless big-game killer; Haaland looked strangely human.

How the Premier League table looks right now

This win is huge. Liverpool leapfrog City to the top of the Premier League – at least for now. The gap is tight, with just a couple of points splitting the top two, and Arsenal lurking just behind after their own solid weekend result earlier today.

City, who came into this one believing a draw would be fine and a win would be a knockout punch, now have to chase. Dropping all three points at Anfield means every remaining fixture suddenly feels like a cup final. One slip, one stray pass, and the title might be gone.

What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings

Check that live Premier League table and you will see just how tight things are: goal difference margins, head-to-head narratives, and the kind of pressure that makes even superstars twitchy in front of goal.

Elsewhere in today's football results

Across Europe, it was a wild day for anyone tracking football results today.

In Spain, Real Madrid kept their grip on La Liga with a routine but ruthless 3-0 home win. Jude Bellingham was once again the heartbeat: he scored one with a late run into the box, sliding home after a neat one-two, and assisted another with a clever cut-back. Two other scorers – Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo – did the rest, and the Bernabéu crowd spent half the second half singing Bellingham's name. Star boy status very much confirmed.

In France, Kylian Mbappé was all fireworks for PSG. A 4-1 win saw him net a brace – one ruthless low finish across the keeper, one outrageous solo run from the left – with teammates Ousmane Dembélé and Gonçalo Ramos also on the scoresheet. Ligue 1 defenders are probably sick of the sight of him by now. PSG's league position looks increasingly untouchable, but with Champions League news and knockout rounds looming, today felt more like a warning shot to Europe than a simple league win.

Social Media Spotlight: Liverpool vs Man City goes nuclear online

As soon as that late penalty was given, the internet absolutely exploded. The key debate? That VAR call on Rúben Dias vs Núñez. Was it soft? Was it clear and obvious? Did the ref bottle it or get it spot-on? X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube – all drowning in hot takes and slow-motion replays.

Jump into that X feed and you will see it all: City fans screaming robbery, Liverpool fans yelling “stonewall pen”, neutrals arguing over frame-by-frame screenshots. Meanwhile, Liverpool's official Insta is pure chaos – Salah smiling in the dressing room, players bouncing to the music, and comments full of "captain, leader, legend" vibes. Over on YouTube, highlight packages are already racking up views as everyone relives the drama and rewinds that penalty incident again and again.

My take: Statement win, serious questions

From a young reporter's eye test, this felt like a statement win from Liverpool and a warning sign for City. Salah was absolute world class – ice-cold in the biggest moments, relentless pressing, constant danger. If Liverpool do end up lifting the trophy, tonight will be one of those games we all point back to and say: that was the turning point.

City, on the other hand, looked strangely fragile when the game got wild. Once Liverpool raised the tempo, you saw too many loose passes, too many panicked clearances. And for me, Guardiola waiting so long to change things up front will be heavily questioned – when Haaland is clearly having an off spell, you need a Plan B faster. Right now, it feels like City are one-dimensional when Plan A doesn't kill the game early.

In my opinion, this isn't just a three-point swing; it is a psychological punch. Liverpool now believe they can outrun and outfight anyone, while City walk away knowing that in a hostile environment, they blinked first.

What next?

The next round of fixtures just became massive. Every goal, every misplaced pass, every niggly foul – it all carries extra weight when the table is this tight. With top scorers today like Salah, Haaland, Mbappé and Bellingham all delivering in different ways, the season is shaping up to be one of those classics we talk about for years.

If you love refreshing soccer news, crunching the football league table, and arguing over every VAR freeze-frame, tonight is basically your Super Bowl. And the best part? We are nowhere near done yet.

Check full stats & standings now

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