Haaland hat-trick chaos as Man City edge Spurs in seven-goal live thriller
07.02.2026 - 07:00:11Man City 4-3 Spurs â Haaland turns into a machine (again)
This one had everything: a hat-trick from Erling Haaland, a Son Heung-min masterclass in transitions, VAR drama, a late winner â the full Premier League live package.
City started like they always do, squeezing Spurs into their own box. The breakthrough came on 18 minutes: Kevin De Bruyne slid a filthy reverse pass between the lines, Haaland peeled off his marker, and with one touch he smashed it low past the keeper. Erling Haaland 1-0.
But Spurs punched back instantly. On 24 minutes, a loose City pass in midfield was punished brutally. James Maddison pounced, drove forward and slipped it to Son Heung-min, who chopped inside and bent a gorgeous right?footer into the far corner. 1-1, Son on the board, Etihad stunned.
City, though, just donât switch off. In the 37th minute, a corner from De Bruyne was half-cleared, fell to Bernardo Silva on the edge, and his clipped cross found RĂșben Dias crashing the back post. The header cannoned off the bar, straight onto Haalandâs forehead from two yards. Tap-in. Haaland again, 2-1 City.
Right before the break, Spurs landed a gut punch. A quick break down the right, Pedro Porro whipped in one of those evil low crosses, and Richarlison slid in ahead of Ederson to poke home. 2-2 at half-time, breathless stuff.
Second-half chaos & VAR drama
On 58 minutes came the first big flashpoint. Haaland burst into the box and took a tangle of legs with Cristian Romero. The referee pointed to the spot, but VAR dragged it back, checking for a possible offside in the build-up. After a long, long wait, the decision stood. Up stepped Haaland, ice cold, drilled it bottom left. Hat-trick complete. 3-2 City.
Spurs would not die. On 73 minutes, another brutal counter. Maddison found Son wide left, Son squared it across, and substitute Dejan Kulusevski arrived late to slam it into the roof of the net. 3-3 and the away end going absolutely mental.
The winner? Pure chaos. 88th minute, City pinning Spurs back, the ball bouncing around the area like pinball. A blocked shot from Phil Foden dropped to De Bruyne, who clipped a dinked cross to the back post. Substitute JuliĂĄn Ălvarez ghosted in, side?foot volley, bottom corner. 4-3 City. The stadium exploded, Ange Postecoglou just stared into the distance like heâd seen this movie one too many times.
Stars: heroes & flops
- Erling Haaland â Complete monster. Three goals (18', 37', 59' pen), constant movement, bullied centre-backs for fun. Clinical, ruthless, unplayable.
- Kevin De Bruyne â Two assists and basically orchestrated everything City did right. When he drops deep and starts pinging passes, it looks like a video game on easy mode.
- Son Heung-min â Goal plus assist, and every time he ran at Cityâs backline the entire stadium held its breath. Huge performance in defeat.
- Cristian Romero â Massive blocks and tackles, but the clumsy penalty on Haaland will haunt him. Heroic and chaotic in one package.
Liverpool 2-0 Chelsea â Anfield locks in a statement win
While Manchester turned into a goal festival, Anfield hosted a different kind of show: controlled dominance. Liverpool 2-0 Chelsea, with the Reds looking sharp, angry, and absolutely locked in.
The opener came on 29 minutes. Trent Alexander-Arnold switched play with a ridiculous diagonal, Luis DĂaz killed it with a velvet first touch, cut inside and curled one into the bottom corner. 1-0, DĂaz on the scoresheet.
Mo Salah might not have scored, but he was everywhere â dropping into pockets, dragging defenders around, combining with Darwin NĂșñez. On 63 minutes, NĂșñez rattled the post, the rebound spilled to Salah, who unselfishly rolled it sideways for Dominik Szoboszlai to smash home. 2-0, game basically done.
Chelseaâs stars? Mixed bag. Cole Palmer had flashes, a couple of dangerous dribbles and one big chance dragged wide. But Raheem Sterling struggled to impact, and the midfield got overrun by Liverpoolâs intensity. No red-card drama, no late comeback â just a statement that Liverpool are very much in this football league table conversation.
Title race shake-up & live table context
Cityâs 4-3 win means they stay right in the hunt at the top, refusing to give Liverpool any breathing room. Spurs, meanwhile, slip further away from the title picture and are now fully in the scrap for top four after another heartbreaking loss in a big one.
Liverpoolâs 2-0 victory tightens the screw, especially with their defensive stability starting to look legit again. Clean sheet, controlled pressing, big players turning up in big moments â exactly what you want in February when the grind really bites.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
Champions League news & wider picture
With the Champions League knockout rounds just around the corner, this weekend was also a huge fitness and form check. Haaland hitting a hat-trick right now is terrifying for any defence on the continent. De Bruyne looks fully fit and in rhythm again â thatâs bad news for Europe. Over in Liverpool, Salah might not have scored, but his movement, creativity and link?up play screamed 9ready for midweek Champions League news headlines9.
For Spurs, shipping four goals is a big red flag ahead of any high-pressing European tie. The attack looks sharp enough to hurt anyone, but if you can9t shut games down when you get back to 3-3 at the Etihad, what happens away to Europe9s elite?
The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans losing it over that late VAR-backed Haaland penalty and the 4-3 madness
My take: this felt like a title-defining swing
From a young reporter9s seat, this CityâSpurs game felt bigger than just three points. When youâre chasing a title, these are the nights that either crack you or crown you. City looked wobbly at 3-3; the stadium got tense, the back line got nervous. But Haaland just kept demanding the ball, De Bruyne kept trying the killer pass, and eventually Ălvarez showed the kind of cold-blooded calm that wins trophies.
On the flip side, Spurs can9t keep living in chaos. Itâs fun, it9s wild, it makes for crazy soccer games, but if you want to be more than just everyone9s favourite neutral, you have to close the door. You can9t be shipping four goals and talking about titles.
Liverpool, though? That looked mature. Less rock-and-roll, more controlled groove. In my opinion, if they keep this balance between Salahâs creativity, DĂazâs directness and a solid midfield, they9re absolutely in it until the final day.
Final whistle â what9s next?
So where does this all leave us? City survive a thriller, Liverpool win with authority, Spurs stumble, Chelsea stall. The top of the football league table is getting tighter, the storylines are getting wilder, and the Champions League narrative is about to crash into all of this domestic drama.
Don9t just trust the vibes â check the numbers, the gaps, the goal differences. The table right now tells you exactly how brutal the margin for error has become.
Check full stats & standings now
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