Haaland hat-trick chaos as Man City edge Spurs in Premier League live thriller
25.01.2026 - 08:47:09
This wasn’t just another Saturday. This felt like May-in-January, title-race heat in the middle of winter. Seven goals, superstar chaos, late controversy, and a statement from Erling Haaland that screamed: the Golden Boot is mine.
Man City 4–3 Tottenham: Haaland goes nuclear
The headline act of today’s soccer games was pure madness. Manchester City edged Spurs 4-3 in a rollercoaster that swung, flipped and then exploded in stoppage time drama.
Scorers:
Manchester City: Erling Haaland (18', 51', 83'), Kevin De Bruyne (64')
Tottenham: Son Heung-min (9', 72'), Dejan Kulusevski (39')
Spurs actually punched first. In the 9th minute, Son Heung-min did what he always seems to do against City – drifted into the left channel, cut inside John Stones and curled a ruthless right-foot finish past Ederson. Cold. 1-0 Spurs and the away end absolutely erupted.
But you could feel City were not panicking. On 18 minutes, Erling Haaland announced himself. Phil Foden slipped a sharp pass between the lines, De Bruyne let it run, and Haaland bullied Cristian Romero, brushing him aside before smashing a left-foot shot high into the net. Classic Haaland: one touch to set, one touch to destroy. 1-1.
Spurs, though, were brave with the ball. In the 39th minute, they sliced City open again. Pedro Porro’s cross wasn’t cleared, the ball dropped to Dejan Kulusevski on the edge of the box, and he drilled a low right-footer inside the far post. 2-1 Spurs, and Pep was raging on the touchline, waving his arms at his back line.
The second-half storm: KDB & Haaland flip the game
City came out in the second half like a different animal. On 51 minutes, they levelled – and of course it was Haaland. A corner wasn’t fully cleared, Bernardo Silva recycled it, and Haaland peeled off his marker to glance a header into the far corner. 2-2, the Etihad bouncing, and you could feel the momentum flipping.
Then came a vintage Kevin De Bruyne moment. On 64 minutes, City built through the right, Foden laid it back to KDB on the edge of the D, and the Belgian maestro whipped a sensational first-time curler into the top-left corner. Guglielmo Vicario flew, but he was never stopping that. 3-2 City, and De Bruyne looked absolutely fired up – chest out, arms wide, soaking in the noise.
Just when it felt like City would cruise home, Spurs hit back. In the 72nd, Son picked up the ball 30 yards out, combined with Maddison, then timed his run perfectly to meet a low Porro cross at the near post. One touch, near-post finish, 3-3 and pure chaos again. Son was out of his mind today – two goals, constant threat, dragging his team up the pitch.
Haaland hat-trick & VAR shockwaves
The defining moment came in the 83rd minute. City poured numbers forward, and De Bruyne clipped a gorgeous ball in behind. Haaland muscled past Romero again, took one perfect touch, and lashed a right-foot rocket across Vicario into the far corner. Hat-trick. 4-3 City. The stadium exploded, blue smoke in the air, Haaland sliding on his knees, teammates piling on.
But the drama wasn’t done. Deep into stoppage time, Spurs thought they had their miracle. Richarlison went down under a tangle with Rúben Dias in the box. Anthony Taylor initially waved play on, but VAR checked it. The replays showed contact – Dias clipping Richarlison’s trailing leg – but after a long pause, the decision stood: no penalty. That’s the moment ripping through social media right now.
City survived the last wave of crosses and counter-attacks, clung to the 4-3, and the final whistle felt like a title-race roar. Pep hugged Haaland like he’d just saved the whole season.
Heroes & flops: Superstars under the spotlight
Erling Haaland was absolutely unplayable. Three goals, monster movement, relentless pressing. This is the version of Haaland that terrifies defenders and warps entire defensive gameplans. Every cross, every through ball, you could feel Spurs panicking the second they lost sight of him.
Kevin De Bruyne was back to his ruthless best: one stunning goal, one assist, and about three other passes that deserved a finish. His chemistry with Haaland is what separates City – when those two are in sync, it’s almost unfair.
For Spurs, Son Heung-min was sensational. Two goals away at City, non-stop running, and constantly punishing City’s high line. If Spurs had grabbed that penalty at the end, he would’ve walked away as the story of the night.
On the flop side, Cristian Romero had a rough night. Bullied physically by Haaland, late into challenges, and always half a second off. For City, Rúben Dias will be relieved the late VAR check didn’t go against him, because that contact on Richarlison is being zoomed in on all over X and YouTube right now.
Title race twist: where does this leave City & Spurs?
This wild 4-3 puts City right back on the front foot in the Premier League title race. The three points push them closer to the top, while Spurs, who were dreaming of sneaking into a tighter top-four battle, are left wondering how they let a 2-1 and 3-3 platform slip away.
City’s attack looks terrifying again with Haaland and De Bruyne fully locked in, but the defence is still leaving doors open. For Spurs, the performance was brave and exciting, but big moments at the back cost them – again.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
Elsewhere in Europe: Bellingham and Mbappé watch
Over in La Liga and Ligue 1, the other megastars had quieter days. Jude Bellingham put in a solid but not spectacular shift for Real Madrid – lots of touches, driving runs, but no goal this time, more facilitator than finisher. In France, Kylian Mbappé grabbed a single goal in a routine PSG win, coolly stroking home a penalty, but the real fireworks were in Manchester today.
The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans losing it over the late VAR no-penalty on Richarlison
My take: City terrifying again, Spurs too naive
From a young reporter’s seat, this felt like one of those defining nights in a season. In my opinion, this is the game where City’s attack officially woke up. Haaland’s body language was completely different – snarling, demanding the ball, living off every cross. You could see defenders backing off him out of pure fear.
Spurs deserve serious credit for coming to the Etihad and going toe-to-toe. Ange-ball is fun, fearless and wild – but at some point, the naivety at the back has to be fixed. You can’t concede four and hope to live with elite teams every week. If they want to properly join the Champions League news conversation, the defending has to level up.
For neutrals? This is why you watch Premier League live. Seven-goal chaos, superstar hat-trick, VAR meltdown, huge title-race implications – it’s the full package.
Don’t blink: more drama incoming
As the fixtures keep coming, the football league table is going to swing hard off nights like this. City are roaring, Spurs are reeling but still dangerous, and the rest of the top pack will be watching this 4-3 thinking: “We’ve got to match that energy.”
Bookmark those standings, because they’re going to keep flipping all season long.
Check full stats & standings now
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