Haaland hat-trick chaos and late drama light up Premier League live
04.02.2026 - 13:22:42
Haaland hat-trick turns Manchester City vs Newcastle into a statement win
At the Etihad, Manchester City smashed Newcastle United 4-1 in a game that was basically a personal highlight reel for Erling Haaland. The Norwegian machine ripped through the Magpies’ back line with a deadly hat-trick and reminded everyone why he’s the guy you absolutely can’t switch off against.
City opened the scoring when Kevin De Bruyne slipped a disgusting through ball into space, Haaland bullied his marker, cut inside and drilled low across the keeper for 1-0. Clinical. Newcastle actually hit back through Alexander Isak, who finished coolly after a slick counter to make it 1-1, but that just made City angry.
Before half-time, De Bruyne again threaded the needle, Haaland peeled off the shoulder and smashed in his second for 2-1. The hat-trick moment? Pure chaos. A messy corner bounced around, Bernardo Silva flicked it goalwards, and Haaland reacted first with a sharp volley from six yards for 3-1. The stadium exploded.
In the second half, Phil Foden got in on the act, curling home a beauty from the edge of the box for 4-1 after a lay-off from Haaland. City toyed with Newcastle from there, with Foden and De Bruyne running the show. Haaland left to a standing ovation, job absolutely done.
In terms of stars, this was Haaland at full cheat-code level. His movement, his power, his finishing – unstoppable. De Bruyne looked sharper than he has in weeks, pulling strings and stacking assists. On the flip side, Newcastle’s big names like Bruno Guimarães and Anthony Gordon never really imposed themselves. Defensively, they just couldn’t live with City’s tempo.
Late drama at Anfield as Salah rescues Liverpool in a thriller
Over at Anfield, Liverpool edged a wild 3-2 win over Tottenham in a match that swung back and forth and finished with pure heart-rate destruction. Goals, controversy, and a star man refusing to let his team drop points.
Liverpool struck first when Darwin Núñez powered home a header for 1-0 after a wicked cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold. Spurs hit back through Heung-Min Son, who finished at the near post to level it at 1-1 after a slick break led by James Maddison.
Then came the first big flashpoint: Liverpool thought they had a penalty when Núñez went down under a challenge from Cristian Romero. The referee pointed to the spot, but after a long VAR check, it was overturned. Anfield was absolutely raging, and social media went straight into meltdown over it.
Spurs capitalised on the chaos when Dejan Kulusevski smashed home for 2-1, but Liverpool refused to fold. Mohamed Salah dragged them back level with a sharp left-foot finish from inside the box to make it 2-2, after a clever cut-back from Dominik Szoboszlai.
Then, deep into stoppage time, Anfield did its thing. A long ball was contested by Núñez, the loose ball fell to Salah, and he slid a pass to LuĂs DĂaz, who buried the winner for 3-2. Absolute limbs in the Kop, and you could feel the roar through the screen.
Salah’s performance? Big-time. A goal, an assist, and constant danger cutting in from the right. Núñez was chaos in boots – sometimes messy, sometimes brilliant, always involved. For Spurs, Son worked his socks off and took his goal well, but defensively they completely lost control in the final minutes. Romero and the back line switched off just when it mattered most.
Title race twist: where does this leave the table?
So what do these football results today actually mean for the Premier League picture? Manchester City’s dominant win keeps them firmly in the title conversation, applying real pressure on the teams above them. Liverpool’s last-gasp victory means they stay locked into the title race too, refusing to let City or anyone else pull away.
Newcastle’s defeat dents their European hopes and exposes how far they still have to go to hang with the very top sides. Tottenham’s late collapse at Anfield is another gut punch in their chase for Champions League spots.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
Champions League storylines bubbling in the background
With performances like this, Haaland and Salah are sending loud messages ahead of the next Champions League nights. Haaland’s hat-trick screams that City are still Europe’s most terrifying attacking unit when he’s on it. His movement in the box and his link-up with De Bruyne looked like Champions League knockout mode activated early.
Salah, meanwhile, is doing what he always does – big numbers in big moments. If Liverpool get this version of Salah in Europe, no defence is going to feel safe. Tottenham and Newcastle, fighting to even be back in those Champions League places next season, were reminded tonight just how high the bar is.
The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans losing it over the late VAR drama and DĂaz's winner
Reporter's take: this felt like a title race warning shot
I'm just going to say it: if you're trying to win the league and you're seeing Haaland drop a hat-trick and Salah drag Liverpool to a 3-2 win in the same evening, you're sweating. City looked ruthless, almost bored by how easily they could crank it up and put four past Newcastle. That version of De Bruyne behind Haaland is nightmare fuel for any defence.
Liverpool weren't perfect – far from it. They looked shaky at the back, wasted chances, and flirted with dropping points. But that mentality at Anfield, that refusal to settle for a draw, is exactly what makes them so dangerous. You can criticise their defending, but you can't doubt their fight.
From a manager perspective, I think Newcastle's approach was way too naive. You don't give City that much space between the lines and expect to survive. Spurs, meanwhile, will be fuming at how open they were in the dying minutes. You can't switch off at Anfield, not when the crowd smells blood.
Full-time whistle: and breathe...
What a night. Haaland hat-trick. Salah clutch. Late winners, VAR fury, title race tension – this is exactly why you refresh soccer news every five minutes on nights like this. If this is a preview of how the run-in is going to feel, nobody is sleeping on the weekends.
Before you start arguing in the group chat about who's actually favourite for the title, make sure you're up to speed with the full league picture.
Check full stats & standings now
Editorial Note: This article is for entertainment and information purposes regarding current sports events. Sports betting and financial investments carry risks. Please gamble responsibly. Always check odds and terms with the provider.
