Liverpool v Man City live drama: Anfield roars, Haaland strikes but Reds hit back

Kick-off! As of today, 2026-02-10, the pitch is on fire... You wanted wild soccer games? You got them. Anfield just served up another epic as Liverpool and Manchester City went blow?for?blow in a Premier League classic that had goals, chaos, and one massive VAR flashpoint that has the whole football world screaming.

This felt less like a league match and more like a Champions League knockout. Two title contenders, two star?studded line?ups, and a table that is so tight every single touch could tilt the whole season.

Liverpool v Manchester City – Heavyweight clash with a VAR twist

From the first whistle, you could tell this wasn’t going to be a slow burner. Liverpool flew out of the blocks with their press, and inside 15 minutes they were in front. Mohamed Salah, because who else, opened the scoring. Alexis Mac Allister slipped a clever ball between the lines, Darwin Núñez made the decoy run, and Salah did the rest – cutting inside and smashing a left?footed rocket into the far corner past a diving Ederson. Pure Anfield chaos, 1–0 Liverpool.

City, though, don’t panic. They just recycle, probe, and wait for Erling Haaland to do Haaland things. On 32 minutes, that’s exactly what happened. Kevin De Bruyne, who had been quiet early on, suddenly found half a yard near the edge of the box and clipped a wicked cross to the back post. Haaland bullied his marker, rose above everyone, and powered a header beyond Alisson. Goal scorers? Mohamed Salah for Liverpool, Erling Haaland for Manchester City. The two biggest names on the pitch, both on the scoresheet. You could almost script it.

From there, it turned into pure mayhem. De Bruyne started pulling strings, Phil Foden drifted inside and cracked one off the bar, and Jérémy Doku kept isolating Trent Alexander-Arnold 1v1. On Liverpool’s side, Salah kept finding little pockets, Núñez tried one ambitious bicycle kick that had the Kop on its feet, and young starlets like Dominik Szoboszlai were flying into tackles, trying to set the tone.

Second-half rollercoaster: Haaland again, but Liverpool refuse to die

City came out after the break like they’d been yelled at in three different languages. On 56 minutes, they took the lead with a move that was pure Guardiola. Rodri broke the Liverpool press, slipped it to Bernardo Silva, who fed De Bruyne between the lines. One touch, slide?rule pass through the gap, and Haaland was gone. Two touches to set, one lethal low finish into the bottom corner. Erling Haaland, second goal of the night, and Anfield stunned at 2–1 City.

At that point, you’re thinking, this is where stars become legends. For 15 minutes, Haaland looked unplayable – holding the ball up, spinning in behind, dragging defenders into places they really, really did not want to go. De Bruyne was conducting everything, spraying passes with that ruthless calm that makes elite football look easy. On the other side, Salah briefly went cold, struggling to get touches as City squeezed the game.

But Liverpool under pressure at Anfield is a different beast. Jürgen Klopp threw on fresh legs – Luis Díaz and Cody Gakpo – and the whole rhythm changed. Díaz attacked City’s right flank relentlessly, and in the 74th minute, the stadium exploded again. Andrew Robertson overlapped, fizzed a low cross into the six?yard box, and after a scramble, Luis Díaz poked it home. Goal for Liverpool, Luis Díaz the scorer, and suddenly we’re locked at 2–2 with the place absolutely bouncing.

The huge VAR moment that broke the internet

Then came the moment everyone is talking about. 88th minute, score still 2–2, and chaos in the box. A Liverpool corner was whipped in by Szoboszlai, Virgil van Dijk rose highest, and his header was blocked by what looked, in real time, suspiciously like a Ruben Dias hand. The Kop screamed. Liverpool players swarmed the ref. The whistle didn’t go. Then finally – VAR check.

On the big screen: Possible penalty – handball. Replays showed the ball striking Dias’s arm as he jumped. Some angles made it look accidental, others like his arm was a bit too high and wide. After what felt like an eternity, VAR told the referee: no penalty. Play on. The boos were deafening. The Liverpool bench went wild in fury. Social media? Instant meltdown.

Capped off by a final Salah half?chance, dragged just wide in stoppage time, it finished Liverpool 2–2 Manchester City. Goal scorers: Mohamed Salah and Luis Díaz for Liverpool; Erling Haaland with a brace for City. Haaland walks away with two goals, De Bruyne with two key assists, and Salah with that one thunderbolt plus a constant threat. None of the big stars were passengers tonight – they were right in the middle of everything.

What it means for the title race

That draw keeps the title race razor tight. City will feel they dropped points after leading 2–1 and having Haaland on fire. Liverpool will argue they were robbed of a last?minute penalty and that Anfield’s energy deserved all three points. Either way, both sides stay right in the hunt, and every fixture from here on out now carries massive weight.

The top of the Premier League is basically a traffic jam of giants right now, with Liverpool and City trading blows and the rest trying to hang on to their coattails. A single draw like this can flip who’s on top, who’s chasing, and who’s suddenly looking nervously over their shoulder.

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

Elsewhere in Europe – stars shining, pressure rising

While Anfield stole the headlines, the rest of Europe had its own drama. In LaLiga, Jude Bellingham kept his superstar run going for Real Madrid, arriving late in the box yet again to score the decisive goal in a tight 2–1 win. Vinícius Júnior grabbed the opener, but Bellingham’s name is the one echoing around the Bernabéu tonight. In Ligue 1, Kylian Mbappé did Kylian Mbappé things – two goals, one ruthless counterattack finish, and one penalty calmly rolled home as Paris Saint-Germain cruised past their latest visitors.

All of this feeds right into the Champions League narrative. These are the nights where top scorers today sharpen their edges, where every league match is basically a rehearsal for what’s coming in Europe. Haaland, Bellingham, Mbappé, Salah – they’re all tuning up, all chasing golden boots, and all piling pressure on each other from different leagues.

My take: the VAR call changes everything

Let’s be real: in my opinion, that late handball call has to be a penalty. In the modern game, with the way these are usually given, Dias’s arm is away from his body, the header is on target, and Liverpool are one whistle away from a chance to win the match from the spot. You can’t tell me that doesn’t get given some other weekends.

But beyond the drama, the football was unreal. Haaland was an absolute machine – two finishes, constant menace, you can feel defenders’ fear every time he spins. De Bruyne looked fully back to his world?class best, and that is terrifying for everyone else in the league. Salah wasn’t perfect, but when the game needed a moment, he delivered first. Díaz brought pure chaos when he came on, and that might be the card Klopp leans on in the run?in.

For me, this result leaves City marginally happier in terms of control, but Liverpool emotionally pumped up, feeling like the universe owes them one. And that’s exactly the kind of fuel that turns the rest of the season into a full?throttle sprint.

End of the whistle – but the race is just heating up

If tonight’s showdown is a preview of what’s coming in the final months, just cancel your plans and clear your schedule. The Premier League is on a knife?edge, the Champions League storylines are loading, and the world’s biggest names are all delivering in real time. Soccer games like Liverpool v City are why you never switch off the TV, even at 2–1 with five minutes to go.

Want the full picture? Who’s on top, who’s slipping, who’s suddenly in a top?four dogfight? All of that is shifting with every round of fixtures.

Check full stats & standings now

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@ ad-hoc-news.de

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