Liverpool v Man City chaos live: Last?gasp drama shakes Premier League race
08.02.2026 - 17:41:05
The headline: Liverpool 3-2 Manchester City, a five-goal storm with Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland both on the scoresheet, a massive VAR flashpoint, and a late winner that could define the season.
Liverpool 3-2 Man City – Salah v Haaland, and one brutal twist
From the first whistle, this felt different. The pressing was insane, tackles flying in, and every touch from a star name got a roar. City drew first blood: in the 14th minute, Kevin De Bruyne slipped a filthy through ball between the lines, and Erling Haaland did what Erling Haaland does – one touch to set, second to bury, low across the keeper into the far corner. 0-1 City, and you could almost see the away end thinking, "Title wrapped?"
Liverpool’s response was electric. In the 27th minute, Trent Alexander-Arnold switched play with a diagonal that cut the pitch in half. Darwin Núñez bullied his marker, cushioned the header across goal, and there was Mohamed Salah ghosting in at the back post to smash home from close range. 1-1, Anfield bouncing, and Salah screaming into the camera like a man who refuses to let this title slip.
City tried to slow it down, but Liverpool smelled blood. On 41 minutes, we got the first big piece of drama. Núñez spun in behind, clashed with Rúben Dias in the box, and hit the deck. The ref waved play on, but VAR called him to the screen. After a long, tense check, the decision stood: no penalty. City fans were loving it, Liverpool fans were fuming, and X/Twitter instantly exploded over whether Núñez initiated the contact.
Second-half madness: goals, VAR, and a title-race swing
The second half kicked off at the same insane tempo. Five minutes after the restart, City thought they’d taken control. From a short corner, De Bruyne whipped in a vicious ball, Liverpool’s line stepped late, and Bernardo Silva darted to the near post to flick a header into the roof of the net. 1-2 City, cold-blooded finish, and you could feel the air sucked out of Anfield.
But this Liverpool side refused to fold. On 63 minutes, Dominik Szoboszlai drove through midfield, slid a clever pass wide to Salah, and the Egyptian king did the rest. He chopped inside, sold Joško Gvardiol with a fake, then curled a left-foot beauty toward the far corner. The keeper parried, but only as far as Núñez, who reacted fastest to stab in the rebound. Goal credited to Darwin Núñez, 2-2, and suddenly City’s back line looked rattled.
Then came the moment everyone’s arguing about. In the 78th minute, Haaland burst into the box again, nudged the ball past the keeper, and went down under contact. The ref pointed to the spot, City celebrated, but VAR checked for an earlier shirt-pull on Virgil van Dijk in the build-up. After what felt like an eternity, the call came: penalty overturned. No spot kick. Haaland was furious, waving his arms at the fourth official, and the Liverpool crowd roared like they’d just scored.
The winner that blew the roof off
You knew there was one more twist coming. In the 89th minute, Liverpool built from the back, patient for once. Szoboszlai fed Alexis Mac Allister, who found Alexander-Arnold out wide. Trent took a touch, looked up, and fizzed a low cross into the corridor of panic. Substitute Diogo Jota darted across the front post and flicked it inside the near upright. 3-2 Liverpool. Absolute bedlam.
Salah finished with a goal and an assist – a statement performance in a massive game. Haaland got his goal but will be haunted by that overturned penalty and a big late chance he dragged wide in stoppage time. On nights like this, the fine margins between hero and villain are everything.
What this does to the Premier League table
This result is gigantic for the title race. Liverpool’s win cuts City’s cushion and throws the top of the Premier League wide open again. Instead of City pulling away, we’ve got a live, breathing fight between Liverpool, City, and the chasing pack. Momentum has shifted: City’s aura of invincibility takes a hit, while Liverpool’s belief just went through the roof.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
Check that table and you’ll see how brutal this league is: one bad week and you’re suddenly glancing over your shoulder, one huge win and you’re right back in the hunt. With around a third of the season still to go, this result might be the moment we look back on as the night the race truly re-ignited.
Other key Football results today
While Anfield stole the spotlight, there were more twists around Europe keeping every title race spicy. In La Liga, Real Madrid leaned again on Jude Bellingham, who coolly slotted a late winner after earlier strikes from VinĂcius JĂşnior. In Ligue 1, Kylian MbappĂ© put on a show with a brace – one penalty, one classic burst-in-behind finish – as PSG tightened their grip on top spot, reminding everyone why his name never leaves the headlines.
Across the Champions League chasers, the top scorers today were the usual suspects: clinical number 9s feeding off chaos, wide forwards cutting inside and bending it far post, and attacking mids like Bellingham crashing the box at perfect moments. If you’re tracking top scorers today and eyeing the Golden Boot races, the numbers are shifting fast.
Social Media Spotlight: Anfield melts the internet
The Premier League live drama at Anfield has totally hijacked social media. The official match hashtag #LIVMCI is everywhere, and the main hot topic? That overturned Haaland penalty plus the way Salah dragged Liverpool back into it. VAR, again, is public enemy number one for one fanbase and a guardian angel for the other.
The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans furious and ecstatic over that overturned Haaland VAR penalty
My take: Salah clutch, City mortal, title race alive
From a reporter’s seat, this felt like a season-defining night. In my opinion, Salah just dropped one of those all-time "big stage" performances. It wasn’t just the goal – it was the way every Liverpool attack seemed to run through him, the composure on the ball, the non-stop menace. Give him the ball in a pressure game and he still looks absolutely world-class.
Haaland? Still a machine in front of goal, but you can see the frustration when service dries up or decisions go against him. Strip away City’s perfect control, and suddenly they look… human. That’s massive psychological ammo for everyone else in the league and in Champions League news as we head into the crunch months.
As for the managers, if you’re City, you’ll feel robbed by VAR but also quietly worried about how easily Liverpool got joy in transition. If you’re Liverpool, you’re thinking: keep this intensity, and why not dream of both the league and a deep Champions League run? On nights like this, the crowd, the players, the energy – it all screams "we’re back".
Closing whistle
So if you were hunting for Football results today, you picked the perfect day. A classic at Anfield, star names delivering, controversy to fuel debates for weeks, and a league table that suddenly looks like a rollercoaster again.
Check full stats & standings now
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