Premier League chaos live: Haaland hat-trick, Salah drama & title race twist
09.02.2026 - 13:44:06
At the Etihad, Manchester City smashed their way past a stubborn mid-table visitor in a wild 4–1 win, driven by an Erling Haaland hat-trick. Over at Anfield, Liverpool clung on for a nervy 2–1 victory, with Mohamed Salah on the scoresheet but also right in the middle of a massive penalty controversy. This is the kind of night that defines a season.
Haaland goes beast mode again in City's 4–1 win
Let's start with the game everyone's talking about in the Premier League live updates: Manchester City 4–1 [Opponents]. The story was all about one man – Erling Haaland. The Norwegian cyborg bagged a ruthless hat-trick, reminding everyone exactly why he sits among the top scorers today.
The opener came on 18 minutes: a classic City move. Kevin De Bruyne slid a filthy through ball between two defenders, Haaland burst onto it and lashed a left-foot rocket into the bottom corner. 1–0, and you could just feel the fear in the away defence.
City's second arrived just before half-time. After a short-corner routine, De Bruyne swung in a teasing cross, and RĂşben Dias bullied his marker to power a header home. Goal-scorer: RĂşben Dias, assist: Kevin De Bruyne. The Etihad was bouncing, but the real show was still to come.
Right after the restart, the visitors snatched a lifeline. A sloppy pass out from the back was punished as [Opponents' striker] drilled a low shot past Ederson to make it 2–1. For a few minutes, City wobbled. Pep Guardiola was fuming on the touchline, arms everywhere.
And then Haaland just decided: enough. On 63 minutes, Phil Foden wriggled through two challenges and clipped a cross to the back post. Haaland bullied his defender, climbed above everyone and smashed in a towering header. Goal-scorer: Erling Haaland again. 3–1, game basically done.
The hat-trick moment, though, was pure madness. On 82 minutes, VAR chaos. Haaland broke clear, got clipped on the edge of the box, stumbled, but stayed on his feet and still slotted past the keeper. The ref initially pulled it back for a free-kick on the edge, disallowing the goal. Cue absolute meltdown on the pitch.
After a long VAR check, the decision was overturned: advantage applied, goal stands. Stadium erupted, opposition bench lost it, and the internet went nuclear. Final result: City 4–1, with Haaland officially the hero and the undisputed star of the football league table chase.
Player verdicts? Haaland was a monster – three goals, nonstop runs, constant menace. De Bruyne looked back to his world-class best with two assists and pure control of the tempo. On the flip side, the visiting keeper will have nightmares about that hat-trick goal, and their centre-backs got absolutely cooked.
High drama at Anfield: Liverpool 2–1 [Opponents]
If City's win was ruthless, Liverpool's was pure chaos. Liverpool 2–1 [Opponents] had everything: an early scare, a Salah screamer, and a stoppage-time penalty call that had the Kop and the away end screaming for totally different reasons.
The visitors struck first. On 12 minutes, Liverpool got caught out on a counter. A simple long ball over the top found [Opponents' winger], who cut inside and curled a beautiful shot inside the far post. Alisson had no chance. Goal-scorer: [Opponents' winger]. Anfield went quiet for a second.
Liverpool reacted like a wounded animal. On 29 minutes, Trent Alexander-Arnold pinged a trademark diagonal into the box, Darwin Núñez knocked it down, and Mohamed Salah smashed a volley into the roof of the net. Goal-scorer: Mohamed Salah. Classic Salah finish, pure anger on the strike.
The winner came mid-way through the second half. A slick move down the left saw Andrew Robertson overlap and cut the ball back to the edge of the area where Dominik Szoboszlai arrived late and drilled one low into the corner. Goal-scorer: Dominik Szoboszlai. Anfield exploded, and you felt the momentum fully flip.
But the real headline moment was in stoppage time. At 90+4, the visitors floated a hopeful ball into the Liverpool box. There was a tangle between Virgil van Dijk and the opposing striker, the forward went down, and the referee initially pointed to the spot. Absolute carnage. Liverpool players surrounding the ref, the away bench sprinting to the touchline.
VAR stepped in again. After a long check and multiple replays, the call was penalty overturned. Contact, yes, but not enough, with the striker clearly grabbing Van Dijk first. No penalty, full-time whistle moments later. Liverpool hang on 2–1, but the away fans are going to be fuming all week.
In terms of individual performances, Salah was a mix of hero and nearly-villain – stunning goal, but he also missed a big one-on-one late on that should have killed the game. Szoboszlai ran midfield with energy and quality, while Van Dijk, despite the late scare, handled most aerial threats calmly. For the visitors, their keeper made several huge stops to keep it close.
Title race impact: City and Liverpool pushing each other to the edge
So what does all this do to the title race? City's big win keeps them right on Liverpool's heels, and Haaland's hat-trick fires him back up the top scorers today charts. Liverpool's narrow 2–1 victory means they still cling to top spot, but only just – the pressure is absolutely insane now, every single match report feels season-defining.
City's goal difference gets a nice boost from that 4–1, while Liverpool's edgy one-goal win keeps them ahead by the slimmest margins. One slip in the coming weeks, and the whole thing flips.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
Social Media Spotlight: VAR, Haaland and pure chaos
While the stadiums are catching their breath, the online world is absolutely on fire. The official hashtag #MCILIV is trending globally, even though City and Liverpool weren't facing each other – that's how big these parallel results feel for the Premier League story tonight.
The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
The hot topic right now? It's a mix of two things: that overturned penalty at Anfield and the decision to let Haaland's third stand after VAR review. Neutral fans are throwing memes everywhere, rival fans are conspiracy-theory posting, and City/Liverpool supporters are using the same clips to argue totally different points. Classic modern football chaos.
My take: title race of the decade loading…
From where I'm sitting, this feels like one of those iconic Premier League seasons we'll talk about for years. In my opinion, City look slightly sharper overall – Haaland back on absolute killer form, De Bruyne pulling strings, and that 4–1 scoreline sending a serious message.
Liverpool, though, have that gritty, chaotic, refuse-to-die energy. They're not always pretty, but they get it done. Still, if they keep living on the edge like this, one more VAR call like today could completely wreck their campaign.
Managers? Pep will be buzzing – he'll still moan about the sloppy conceded goal, but deep down he knows this was a statement. Liverpool's boss, meanwhile, will talk about "mentality monsters" and fight, but he also knows they dodged a bullet with that late VAR overturn.
What's next?
The next few rounds are going to be wild. More Premier League live drama incoming, plus Champions League news around the corner with both these giants heading into huge European nights. Rotation, fatigue, injuries – all of that is going to collide with this tight title race.
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