Liverpool vs Man City goes wild: Anfield chaos, Haaland & Salah light it up live
04.02.2026 - 06:31:00
Premier League Madness: Liverpool 3-2 Manchester City
Let's start with the headline act in today's football results: Liverpool vs Man City. From the first whistle this thing was played at playoff speed. City drew first blood when Erling Haaland did exactly what Erling Haaland does. In the 18th minute, Kevin De Bruyne slid a filthy through ball between the lines, and Haaland bullied his way past Virgil van Dijk before smashing a low left-footed finish past Alisson. Clinical, icy, pure number?9 poison.
Liverpool didn't blink. On 32 minutes, Mohamed Salah dragged them level. Trent Alexander-Arnold pinged one of those signature diagonals to Luis Díaz, who roasted Kyle Walker down the left. Díaz cut it back, and Salah arrived on the penalty spot, side-footing into the far corner. Ederson barely twitched. Anfield exploded; Salah pointed to the badge like, "Yeah, I'm still that guy."
Just before halftime City regained control. A fast break triggered by Rodri ended with Phil Foden cutting inside from the right and curling a nasty left-footed strike into the top corner from the edge of the box on 43 minutes. You could almost hear the collective "wow" as Foden wheeled away in front of the away end. Alisson had no chance. At the break: Liverpool 1-2 City, with Haaland and Foden looking ruthless and the Reds hanging on.
Second-Half Turnaround: Salah the Leader, Núñez the Wildcard
After the restart, Liverpool came out like a team that had been screamed at for 15 minutes straight. The press was higher, the tackles were nastier, and the Kop was on full send. In the 58th minute the pressure finally cracked City. Alexis Mac Allister played a sharp ball into Cody Gakpo, who went down under pressure from Rúben Dias inside the box. The ref pointed to the spot. Cue full-on VAR drama.
We got a long check: angles, slow-mos, the whole stadium holding its breath. Dias clearly brushed the ball but cleaned out Gakpo afterwards. After about two minutes of waiting, the decision stood. PENALTY LIVERPOOL. City players lost it, Guardiola was raging on the touchline, and X was instantly flooded with clips and hot takes calling it "soft" and "a disgrace".
Mohamed Salah stepped up, stared down Ederson, and absolutely laced it into the top-right corner in the 61st minute. 2-2. That's Salah's second of the night and another line on his "top scorers today" resume. When the spotlight hit, he didn't blink. Haaland might be the new-school monster, but Salah reminded everyone he's still a superstar in this league.
The winner though? Pure chaos merchant energy from Darwin Núñez. On 84 minutes, with the game looking like it was drifting towards a draw, Harvey Elliott spun away from Rodri and slid a ball into the left channel. Núñez, who had been battling with Manuel Akanji all half, peeled off the back of him, took one touch to steady himself and then smashed a low drive across Ederson into the far corner. 3-2 Liverpool. Núñez to the crowd, arms wide, Anfield absolutely bouncing.
Stars: Heroes and Flops
- Erling Haaland (Man City): Gets his goal, of course, and bullied his way into scoring territory early on. But in the second half he faded, snatching at a big chance on 72 minutes when he dragged a shot wide from inside the box. For his standards, that's a miss that hurts.
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool): An elite, grown-up performance. Two goals, constant danger, and he tracked back more than once to help Trent with Foden. Absolute leader today.
- Kevin De Bruyne (Man City): World-class assist for Haaland, some outrageous switches of play, but he also tired visibly. Gave the ball away in the build-up to Liverpool's late winner. High level, but not 90 minutes of dominance.
- Darwin Núñez (Liverpool): The chaos king. First half he was frustrating, with a big headed chance missed on 27 minutes. Second half? Different animal. Fired the winner, pressed like a madman, and fed the crowd.
What This Means for the Football League Table
With this result, Liverpool jump ahead in the Premier League title race, nudging past Manchester City by a single point at the top. Arsenal are suddenly very interested spectators, just a couple of points back and licking their lips at any sign of dropped points from either giant. Every slip now feels like a full-on twist in the narrative.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
Elsewhere in Europe: Champions League Contenders Keep Firing
Today's football results weren't just about England. Across Europe, the Champions League news radar was buzzing as the usual heavyweights stayed on the front foot domestically.
In Spain, Real Madrid edged a gritty 2-1 win at home, with Jude Bellingham again on the scoresheet. He opened the scoring with a late run into the box and a cool side-footed finish from a Vinícius Júnior cutback. Later, with the game level at 1-1, Bellingham threaded a pass that led to a scrappy tap-in winner from Rodrygo. Not his flashiest performance, but when Madrid needed control and composure, he delivered. Hero-mode, but in a quieter, more mature way.
Over in France, Paris Saint-Germain rolled to a 3-0 win with Kylian Mbappé grabbing a brace. The first was classic Mbappé: blazing down the left, cutting inside, and curling into the far corner. The second was a penalty after he was brought down trying to dance past two defenders. PSG's top scorers today look fully locked in, and that's a warning shot to anyone they&aposre facing in Europe.
Social Media Spotlight: VAR Rage and Núñez Chaos
If you jump on your phone right now, the football world online is a full circus. The official hashtag for tonight's main event is #LIVMCI, and it is absolutely melting down over that penalty for Liverpool and Darwin Núñez turning from meme to match-winner.
The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans furious over the soft VAR penalty and Núñez's wild winner
My Take: This Felt Like a Title Decider
Let's be real: this didn't feel like just another league game. This Liverpool vs Man City showdown felt like a mini final baked into the middle of the season. In my opinion, Guardiola got too conservative after City took the lead. Sitting back and trying to manage the game at Anfield is like trying to hold back a tidal wave with a bucket.
On the flip side, Jürgen Klopp went full chaos mode and it worked. Throwing on Harvey Elliott and keeping faith with Darwin Núñez was a brave call, and it flipped the whole vibe. Núñez will still miss chances and drive you insane, but in games like this he's exactly the kind of joker card you want.
Salah was world-class, Haaland was deadly but not decisive, and Bellingham and Mbappé quietly reminded everyone across Europe that the Champions League chase is going to be stacked with mega-stars in form. For pure drama though, the Premier League live offering today was on another level.
What's Next?
From now on, every point at the top matters. City need a response, Liverpool need consistency, and Arsenal are lurking in the shadows hoping both slip again. Meanwhile, Real Madrid and PSG are cruising and loading up confidence for their European nights.
If you&aposre tracking top scorers today, Salah, Haaland, Bellingham and Mbappé all made their marks, but in terms of pure narrative and emotion, Darwin Núñez just stole the show.
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