Haaland hat-trick, Foden magic – Man City smash Arsenal in live title statement

Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-11, the pitch is on fire... Did you catch that avalanche at the Etihad? If you love soccer games with chaos, drama and world?class finishing, Manchester City vs Arsenal just fed your entire weekend in 90 wild minutes.

The reigning champs absolutely ripped into Arsenal in a 4-1 win that felt like a live trailer for why City still own the Premier League. Erling Haaland went full cheat code, Phil Foden turned the midfield into his personal playground, and Arsenal’s title dream took a brutal uppercut under the floodlights.

Man City 4–1 Arsenal – Haaland goes nuclear, Arsenal collapse

This one started at 100 miles per hour. City pressed high, Arsenal tried to build from the back, and within 15 minutes the breakthrough came. Kevin De Bruyne slipped one of those trademark slide?rule passes between the lines, Phil Foden ghosted inside from the left, and cut it back first time for Erling Haaland to slam home the opener. One touch, bottom corner, 1–0 City.

Arsenal briefly settled and grabbed a lifeline. In the 28th minute, Bukayo Saka drove at Josko Gvardiol, cut inside and rifled a shot that Ederson parried into a crowd. The rebound fell kindly for Gabriel Jesus, who poked it over the line to make it 1–1. For a moment, the away end believed.

But then the VAR circus rolled into town. Just before half-time, Haaland spun into the box on a corner, went down under minimal contact from William Saliba, and the referee initially waved play on. After a long VAR check, the decision was overturned, penalty City. Arsenal players were livid, Mikel Arteta almost lost his mind on the touchline, but the call stood. Haaland stepped up and absolutely leathered it into the top corner for his second of the night. 2–1 City, and the boos from the away end were aimed more at the officials than their own players.

The second half was pure domination. City’s press locked Arsenal in their own half and Foden started cooking. On 63 minutes, De Bruyne collected the ball centrally, fed Foden on the half-turn, and the England star drove into space before whipping a gorgeous low strike into the far corner. Phil Foden made it 3–1, and that felt like the knockout blow.

To cap it all off, City went full Harlem Globetrotters late on. In the 82nd minute, Bernardo Silva dinked a pass into the box, Foden flicked it around the corner and Haaland crashed in at the back post for his hat?trick. Erling Haaland 4, Arsenal 1. Hat?trick hero, match ball in his bag, title race shaken.

Stars report: Heroes & flops

• Erling Haaland (Man City) – Absolute monster. Three goals, bullied both centre-backs, lived in the six-yard box. His movement for the first and third was elite, and the penalty was buried with zero fear. Stone-cold killer.
• Phil Foden (Man City) – The brain and the flair. One goal, one assist, but honestly it felt like more. He kept finding pockets, dragging Arsenal’s midfield around and opening channels for Haaland and De Bruyne. Man of the Match argument is real.
• Kevin De Bruyne (Man City) – Not even at 100%, still dictating tempo. Two pre-assists and constant threat with those whipped crosses. Didn’t score but set the platform for everything.
• Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) – Arsenal’s liveliest threat. He created the chaos for Jesus’ goal and tried to carry the attack, but faded as City cranked up the press.
• Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal) – Rough night. Couldn’t get on the ball in dangerous zones and looked frustrated as passing lanes closed. For a captain and creator, it was far too quiet.
• William Saliba & Gabriel (Arsenal) – Overpowered by Haaland. The penalty decision on Saliba will sting, but overall they lost too many duels in key moments.

The big talking point? That VAR penalty. In live speed, it looked soft. On replay, there’s a nudge and some contact, but the debate is raging on whether that’s enough for such a massive call in a title?defining clash. Arsenal fans are convinced it changed everything; City fans are arguing Haaland was simply too smart with his position and timing.

What this does to the Premier League table

This result is huge. With the 4–1 win, Manchester City leapfrog Arsenal and tighten their grip on the top spot. Arsenal, who came into this round with real belief, now find themselves chasing again, with goal difference swinging even further in City’s favor.

City’s unbeaten run continues and, with Haaland back in full scoring mode, they look terrifyingly close to peak form right as we hit the business end of the season. Arsenal’s back-to-back tough fixtures suddenly feel like make-or-break. One more slip and the title might be gone.

What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings

Around Europe: Champions League contenders flexing

Elsewhere across Europe, the Champions League news and storylines are heating up as the big boys tune up. Over in LaLiga, Jude Bellingham kept his scoring touch alive for Real Madrid with a late header in a 2–1 win, while in Ligue 1, Kylian Mbappé bagged a brace in a 3–0 cruise that looked more like a light training session than a league match.

Bellingham’s goal – a towering leap and bullet header from a Toni Kroos corner – again showed why he’s become Real’s clutch player. Mbappé? Same story, different night: one lightning?quick counterattack finish, one ice?cold penalty. The top scorers today across Europe all look like they’re warming up for knockout season.

Social Media Spotlight – VAR rage & Haaland hype

Reporter's take: City are inevitable, Arsenal look scarred

From my seat, this felt like a psychological hammer blow. In my opinion, City didn’t just beat Arsenal, they reminded them who runs this league when it really matters. When Haaland smells blood like this, it’s almost unfair. Add Foden gliding between the lines and De Bruyne pulling strings, and you’re basically trying to stop a tidal wave with a paper cup.

For Arsenal, the worry isn’t just the scoreline – it’s the body language. Heads dropped after the third goal, passes got safe, pressing intensity vanished. If you want to win a Premier League title against this City machine, you can’t mentally check out for even 10 minutes. Tonight, they disappeared for half an hour and got destroyed.

The manager questions are going to start flying again. Not in a "sack him tomorrow" way, but in a hard conversation kind of way: has this group actually learned from last season’s collapse? Or are we just watching the same film with a slightly different script?

Final whistle: Title race on turbo mode

So here we are, 2026-02-11, and the Premier League live drama just went up a level. Haaland's hat-trick, Foden's sparkle, Arsenal's fury at VAR – this is exactly why we’re obsessed with soccer games at this stage of the season.

If you're trying to figure out who really has the edge now, you need to see how tight the top is, how much that goal difference swing matters, and who still has to play who.

Check full stats & standings now

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@ ad-hoc-news.de

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