Haaland hat-trick chaos & Liverpool scare: Premier League drama live
06.02.2026 - 11:56:44Haaland turns on beast mode as Man City crush Newcastle
At the Etihad, Manchester City absolutely tore into Newcastle United in a 4-1 win that felt like a statement to the whole league. The headline? Erling Haaland, obviously. The big Norwegian bullied the back line and walked away with a brutal hat-trick.
The opener came early: in the 14th minute, Kevin De Bruyne slid a filthy through ball between the centre-backs, and Haaland did what Haaland does â one touch to set, second touch to lash it low past the keeper. 1-0, ice cold.
Newcastle briefly thought they were in it when Alexander Isak curled in a beauty from the edge of the box on 28 minutes, levelling it at 1-1. But that just woke City up. Right before half-time, Phil Foden danced past two defenders on the right and pulled it back, Haaland arriving like a freight train to smash in his second. The hat-trick was completed on 67 minutes from the spot after a clumsy foul on Bernardo Silva: Haaland stepped up, sent the keeper the wrong way, job done.
The fourth goal came from City's metronome himself: Rodri arrived late on the edge of the box and drilled in a low shot after a De Bruyne cut-back. By then, Newcastle were hanging on, chasing shadows while De Bruyne and Foden just toyed with them.
Heroes & flops? Haaland was pure destruction, De Bruyne looked like he'd never been injured in his life, and Foden was everywhere between the lines. On the other side, Bruno GuimarĂŁes never got control of midfield, and Kieran Trippier had a tough night tracking City's rotations. Newcastle's back line just couldn't live with City's speed and movement.
Anfield rollercoaster: Liverpool edge late thriller
Over at Anfield, Liverpool scraped a breathless 3-2 win against a stubborn Brighton side in a game that swung like a pendulum. This one was peak Premier League live drama.
Liverpool started fast. On 11 minutes, Mohamed Salah did Salah things: cutting in from the right, trading a quick one-two with Dominik Szoboszlai, and burying a left-footed curler into the far corner. Brighton hit back, though. A slick move on 34 minutes saw JoĂŁo Pedro convert from close range after a low cross from the left, catching Liverpool's back line flat-footed.
After the break, Liverpool cranked up the pressure. Darwin NĂșñez finally got his reward on 56 minutes, smashing home from inside the box after chaos from a corner. But just when it looked under control, Brighton punched again: substitute Julio Enciso fired in a ruthless strike from distance on 78 minutes to make it 2-2. Anfield went from party to panic in a heartbeat.
The winner? Pure chaos and pure relief. On 88 minutes, Trent Alexander-Arnold swung in a wicked ball, NĂșñez challenged in the air, and the knock-down fell perfectly for Salah, who reacted first, stabbing home from close range for his second of the night. 3-2, limbs everywhere.
Star watch: Salah was clutch â two goals, nonstop threat. NĂșñez was a mixed bag: missed a big first-half chance but still came away with a goal and constant movement that wrecked Brighton's shape. Trent had one of those nights where every delivery felt dangerous, even if defensively he still had shaky moments. For Brighton, Kaoru Mitoma gave Liverpool headaches out wide, but defensively they just couldn't survive the late onslaught.
Mbappé & Bellingham check-in: quieter nights on the continent
While England was losing its mind, the Champions League contenders were also in the spotlight. In France, Kylian Mbappé had a surprisingly quiet league outing for PSG, failing to get on the scoresheet in a cagey 1-0 win where the only goal came from Gonçalo Ramos. Mbappé had one big chance saved and looked frustrated with the lack of service.
In Spain, Jude Bellingham put in a solid but not spectacular shift for Real Madrid in a 2-0 win, with the goals coming from VinĂcius JĂșnior and Rodrygo. Bellingham linked play nicely and nearly scored with a late header, but this time it was the Brazilian duo stealing the spotlight.
Title race twist: what the numbers say
So what do today's Football results mean for the title race? City's win tightens the gap at the top and puts real pressure on Liverpool, who just about kept their noses in front with that late Salah winner. Newcastle, meanwhile, slide further away from the Champions League spots and will be fuming at how quickly they collapsed after equalising.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
The updated football league table shows City breathing down Liverpool's neck, with goal difference and head-to-heads suddenly looking like they could be decisive. Every dropped point from here looks massive.
Match report flashpoints: VAR, chaos, and screamers
You want controversy? The biggest flashpoint came at the Etihad when Newcastle thought they had a second goal early in the second half. Anthony Gordon broke clear and slotted past Ederson, but after a long VAR check, the goal was chalked off for a marginal offside in the buildup. The away end lost it, and social media lit up instantly, calling it "another VAR robbery".
At Anfield, the drama was more old-school: late goals, big saves, and bodies on the line. Alisson pulled off a ridiculous stop from close range just moments before Salah scored the winner, turning the whole stadium from dread to explosion in seconds.
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Reporter's hot take
In my opinion, this felt like a power shift night. City looked like a machine again â when Haaland, De Bruyne, and Foden click like that, it's terrifying. If you're Liverpool, you're buzzing about the three points but also seriously worried about how open you look at the back. Salah can't keep bailing them out forever.
As for Newcastle, this was a reality check. If you want to live in that Champions League news conversation, you can't just crumble the second City turn up the heat. Mentally and tactically, they got pulled apart.
And now?
The title race is alive, the goal charts are shaking up with Haaland and Salah both going big, and every neutral just won today. Whether you're chasing Premier League live updates, top scorers today, or the bigger Champions League picture, this round changed the mood completely.
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