Liverpool vs Man City live thriller: Salah & Haaland light up title race

Liverpool edge Man City in a wild Anfield classic as Salah outshines Haaland and the title race explodes. Did VAR get the key call right?

Kick-off! As of today, 2026-03-07, the pitch is on fire... The soccer games on this insane Premier League Super Saturday just flipped the title race on its head. At Anfield, Liverpool and Manchester City dropped a full-on blockbuster, with Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland trading blows in one of the wildest matches of the season.

You wanted drama? You got it. You wanted goals? You got those too. And of course, you wanted controversy… VAR said: say less.

Liverpool 3–2 Manchester City: Salah steals the spotlight

Anfield under the lights, title pressure, and two of the best attacks on the planet. From the first whistle it felt like the stadium might just explode.

Liverpool hit first. In the 18th minute, a sweeping counter started by Trent Alexander-Arnold found Dominik Szoboszlai between the lines. One touch, then a slide-rule pass into the right channel for Mohamed Salah, who chopped inside Josko Gvardiol and whipped a left-footed curler past Ederson at the far post. 1–0, pure Salah trademark.

City answered like champions. Just before half-time, Kevin De Bruyne spotted space in behind. One outrageous outside-of-the-boot pass split Liverpool open, Phil Foden squared first time across the box, and Erling Haaland bullied his way between Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté to slam in from six yards. Goal machine mode: 1–1, Haaland again on the big stage.

But the second half was pure chaos. In the 54th minute, Luis Díaz skinned Kyle Walker on the left, cut the ball back, and Alexis Mac Allister arrived on the edge to side-foot into the bottom corner. 2–1 Liverpool, Anfield bouncing.

City weren’t done. In the 71st minute, another slick move through the middle ended with Bernardo Silva clipping one to the back post where Foden ghosted in and thumped a header past Alisson. Goal to make it 2–2, and suddenly you felt momentum tilting sky blue.

Then came the moment everyone’s arguing about. Minute 84: Salah darted into the box and went down under a tangle with Ruben Dias. The referee waved play on, VAR called him over. After a long, tense review, the decision: penalty to Liverpool. Anfield erupted, City players lost their minds.

Salah stepped up, stared down Ederson, and absolutely buried the spot-kick low into the corner for his second of the night. Hat-trick of ice-cold moments, even if not a hat-trick of goals. 3–2 Liverpool, and that one felt huge in the title race.

Stars check: heroes, flops, and everything in between

Mohamed Salah was the headline act. Two goals, nonstop pressing, and that killer instinct in the clutch. He dragged Liverpool forward every time they looked under pressure.

Erling Haaland got his goal and was always a threat, but he’ll be fuming to leave Anfield with nothing. He had a huge chance in stoppage time – one-on-one with Alisson – but the Brazilian keeper spread himself big and Haaland’s dink sailed agonisingly wide. For a striker of his standards, that’s a miss that will haunt him.

Kevin De Bruyne looked like a conductor in midfield, collecting another assist and constantly punching holes in Liverpool’s shape. But City’s back line, especially down the right side, just couldn’t cope with Díaz and Salah’s movement.

For Liverpool, Virgil van Dijk wasn’t flawless but he held things together in the closing minutes with a couple of massive clearances, while Alisson delivered that huge late stop on Haaland that might be replayed for the rest of the season.

Elsewhere in the league: title and top-four race go crazy

While Anfield stole the global spotlight, the rest of the Premier League card also shook up the table. Arsenal ground out a nervy 1–0 home win over a stubborn Brighton side, with Bukayo Saka bagging the only goal – a precise right-foot finish from inside the box after a Martin Ødegaard cutback.

Over in London, Tottenham stayed in the Champions League hunt with a 2–1 comeback victory against Newcastle. Son Heung-min was the difference-maker again: first he created the equaliser for Dejan Kulusevski with a low cross, then calmly converted a second-half penalty after being clipped by Fabian Schär in the box.

Those results mean Liverpool’s win doesn’t just light up the title battle at the top – it drags City back into a real dogfight and keeps Arsenal and Spurs believing they can be part of the story deep into the spring.

What does this mean for the title race? Liverpool’s three points over City put them in the driver’s seat, nudging them ahead in the Premier League standings while tightening the gap between the leading pack. With Arsenal right on their heels and City suddenly chasing instead of controlling, every single point now feels like gold dust. Click here for the live standings

VAR meltdown and social media eruption

Let’s talk about the decision everyone’s screaming about: that late penalty on Ruben Dias. Some angles made it look soft, others showed clear contact on Salah’s trailing leg. The ref’s original call was no pen, but VAR pulled him to the monitor and the rest is pure Twitter chaos.

City fans are convinced it’s a robbery. Liverpool fans say it’s stonewall. Neutrals? Mostly just enjoying the meltdown with memes and slow-mo freeze frames from every possible angle.

Reporter’s take: this felt like a title swing

From my seat, this didn’t just feel like another big-game win; it felt like a power shift. Liverpool showed that extra bit of chaos, energy, and edge in both boxes that City usually own.

Salah absolutely played like a man on a mission, while Haaland – for all his quality – will have nightmares about that last-gasp chance. On nights like this, tiny margins decide everything.

And honestly, City’s game management late on just wasn’t them. Too open, too emotional after the VAR call, and they let Anfield’s noise drag them into a frantic end-to-end brawl instead of the calm control they normally bring.

If this is the night we look back on in May and say, "That’s when the title swung," no one should be surprised.

Don’t blink – the run-in starts now

The Premier League live picture is changing by the minute, and with Arsenal and Spurs both winning, the top-four and title races are suddenly stacked with storylines. Every matchday from here out is basically a mini final.

If you’re trying to keep track of who’s on top, who’s chasing Champions League spots, and who’s sliding towards trouble, you absolutely need to keep one eye on the table while the other is glued to the action.

Check full stats & standings now

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