Liverpool stun City in late drama â Anfield erupts as title race goes live
12.02.2026 - 19:36:50Liverpool 2â1 Manchester City â Salah steals the spotlight
This was billed as the night Haaland would bully another defence. Instead, it turned into a statement win for Liverpool and a reminder that Mohamed Salah still owns the biggest stages.
City started sharply. On 18 minutes, Kevin De Bruyne clipped a gorgeous ball between the lines, Phil Foden slid it wide to Erling Haaland, and you knew what was coming. One touch to set, left-foot hammer into the far corner: 0â1 City. Classic Haaland, his movement too quick for Liverpoolâs back line.
But instead of folding, Liverpool woke up. Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai started snapping into tackles, and on 34 minutes they got level. Trent Alexander-Arnold fizzed a diagonal to Luis DĂaz, who cut inside and forced a save from Ederson. The rebound dropped kindly and Mohamed Salah was first to react, lashing home from close range. 1â1 and Anfield absolutely exploded.
From there, it turned chaotic. Haaland had another big chance just before half-time â again fed by De Bruyne â but Alisson got a strong hand to a low drive. The Norwegian star looked dangerous, but Liverpool kept him just uncomfortable enough. You could feel the frustration: arms up, glances at the bench, little shakes of the head.
Second half, City tried to slow it down. Rodri recycled possession, Bernardo Silva drifted everywhere, and De Bruyne kept searching for that killer pass. Still, Liverpool were the ones generating raw energy. Salah was twisting defenders, DĂaz was running at full tilt, and Darwin NĂșñez came off the bench like a wrecking ball.
The key flashpoint came on 78 minutes. NĂșñez broke in behind, went shoulder?to?shoulder with Ruben Dias, and hit the deck in the box. Referee waved play on, but VAR called him over. The replay? Contact, but was it enough? Social media instantly split in half. In the end, the ref stuck with his original call â no penalty â and the City end roared like theyâd scored.
But if you follow football results today, you know Anfield doesnât care about scripts. Deep into stoppage time, with City trying to see it out, Liverpool got one last corner. Alexander-Arnold whipped it in, chaos in the six-yard box, the ball popped out to the edge where Dominik Szoboszlai waited. One touch to set, second touch a rocket that clipped the underside of the bar and crashed in. 90+4' â 2â1 Liverpool. Absolute mayhem.
Salah finished with a goal and a constant threat. Haaland, for all his early strike, faded, snatching at a late half-chance heâd normally bury. De Bruyne worked like a machine, but this one belonged to Liverpoolâs intensity and Szoboszlaiâs clutch moment.
Title race twist â where does this leave the table?
This result flips the mood at the top. With City dropping points and Liverpool grabbing all three, the gap between them shifts again and the pressure tilts towards Pep Guardiolaâs side. City, who looked ready to pull away, suddenly feel catchable. Liverpoolâs win doesnât just tighten the points; it changes the whole psychological landscape heading into the next run of fixtures.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
Elsewhere in today's football results
It wasnât just Anfield delivering drama. Across Europe, the football results today kept the Champions League chasers and title hopefuls on edge.
Arsenal 3â0 Newcastle â Saka on fire
At the Emirates, Arsenal made a loud statement of their own with a 3â0 demolition of Newcastle. Bukayo Saka scored twice â first curling a left-footed beauty into the far top corner on 26 minutes, then finishing a slick move on 54 minutes after a neat one-two with Martin Ădegaard. The opener had come even earlier, with Gabriel Jesus stabbing in from close range after a scramble from a corner.
Saka was unplayable, constantly isolating his full-back and driving inside. Jesus pressed like a demon, Ădegaard pulled strings, and defensively Arsenal barely gave Alexander Isak a sniff. Compared to some off-days earlier in the season, this was a locked-in, ruthless version of Arsenal.
Real Madrid 2â1 Sevilla â Bellingham the late hero again
Over in LaLiga, the Champions League news radar pinged hard as Real Madrid once again leaned on their superstar. Real beat Sevilla 2â1 at the BernabĂ©u, and yes, Jude Bellingham did Jude Bellingham things.
Real went ahead via VinĂcius JĂșnior on 22 minutes, smashing in at the near post after a devastating cut inside from the left. Sevilla clawed back to 1â1 just after half-time when Youssef En-Nesyri headed in from a corner. Madrid huffed and puffed, missed chances through Rodrygo and VinĂcius, and it felt like points were slipping away.
Then, 88th minute. Toni Kroos slid a delicious pass into the right channel, Carvajal pulled it back, and Bellingham arrived late, side-footing into the bottom corner with ice-cold composure. 2â1 Real. Another clutch winner, another night where Bellingham looked like the main character of European football.
Social Media Spotlight â the world reacts to Anfield chaos
If you jump onto soccer news feeds right now, the one thing everyoneâs screaming about is that late VAR non-penalty for Liverpool and Szoboszlaiâs thunderbolt. Fans are split between "clear pen" and "never enough contact", while neutral fans are just replaying the winning goal on loop.
The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans arguing non-stop over the late VAR no-penalty and Szoboszlai's screamer
Reporter's take â bold calls and big reputations
Letâs be real: in my opinion, this felt like a power shift kind of night. City looked strangely human. Haaland scored but never truly dominated, and when the big late moment came, it was Liverpool who played with conviction while City tried to manage the clock.
For Liverpool, this is the kind of win that can light up a whole season. Salah was everywhere â dropping deep, spinning wide, sprinting in behind. Szoboszlai looked exactly like the big-game midfielder they bought him to be. Anfield under the lights, a top rival in town, and they walked away with maximum points. Thatâs title-contender energy.
On the flip side, Pep has questions to answer. Why did City ease off instead of going for the jugular at 1â1? Did they sit too deep, invite too much pressure, and pay the price? If this title race comes down to a couple of points, they will absolutely circle this match as a massive missed chance.
As for the wider football league table picture: Arsenalâs big win keeps them firmly in the fight, Madrid continue to cruise in Spain with Bellingham as the headline act, and the Champions League news cycle is already spinning stories about who really looks like Europeâs best right now. Liverpool and Real Madrid definitely sent a message today.
Final whistle â what next?
The football results today didnât just give us another list of scores; they reshaped the storylines. Salah vs Haaland, Bellinghamâs clutch gene, Saka stepping up â the stars turned up and the title races feel tighter than ever.
If youâre trying to make sense of exactly where this leaves Liverpool, City, Arsenal and the rest of the pack, the live table is essential viewing right now.
Check full stats & standings now
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@ ad-hoc-news.de
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