Last?gasp drama! Liverpool edge City as Haaland misses, Salah delivers live
Published on 02/02/2026 at 16:54 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael MĂŒller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSThe football results today are all about one thing: a heavyweight fight between Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland, and only one of them walked off like a king.
Liverpool 2â1 Manchester City â Salah the ice-cold closer
Did you see that finish? The game exploded early. Liverpool came out flying, and within 18 minutes the press paid off. Luis DĂaz nicked the ball high up, slipped it into the box, and Mohamed Salah did what he does best: one touch to set, second touch low across goal and into the far corner. Salah 1â0.City answered like champions, though. In the 34th minute, Kevin De Bruyne (yep, still the brain of this side) picked out Erling Haaland with a filthy disguised pass through two defenders. Haaland shrugged off his marker and smashed it past the keeper for 1â1. Classic No.9 finish, first real sniff, first goal. That was his only clinical moment all night, though, because after that Liverpoolâs back line made his life horrible.
The second half turned into a street fight. Tackles flying in, the crowd screaming on every touch, and VAR getting dragged into the conversation. On 63 minutes, City thought theyâd flipped the match: Bernardo Silva clipped a teasing ball to the back post and Phil Foden volleyed home. But hold up. VAR check. In the build-up, Haaland had tugged on Virgil van Dijkâs shirt. After a long review, the ref went to the screen and disallowed Fodenâs goal. Anfield went nuclear, Pep lost his mind on the touchline, and that VAR call is exactly what everyoneâs screaming about online right now.
And then came the twist. With City still rattled, Liverpool threw on fresh legs. In the 88th minute, it was chaos in Cityâs box from a corner, the ball popped out to Trent Alexander-Arnold on the edge, he rolled it sideways, and Dominik Szoboszlai absolutely hammered a low drive. It took a wicked deflection via a crowd of legs, wrong-footed the keeper and crashed in for 2â1 Liverpool. Officially, it goes down as a Szoboszlai goal, and Anfield turned into a madhouse.
Heroes and flops? Salah was pure ice â a goal, constant danger, and big-game presence. Szoboszlai was everywhere, crunching in tackles and then popping up with the winner. For City, De Bruyneâs vision kept them alive, but Haaland faded badly after his goal. Once van Dijk and KonatĂ© tightened up, Haaland barely had a clean look, and he even headed a golden 82nd-minute chance straight at the keeper. On a night like this, that miss feels massive.
Elsewhere in the title race â goals, chaos, and pressure
While Anfield stole the spotlight, the rest of todayâs fixtures piled pressure on everyone.In London, Arsenal 3â0 Newcastle was as one-sided as the score suggests. Bukayo Saka opened the scoring with a tidy left-footed strike inside the box, Gabriel Jesus added the second with a near-post finish after a cut-back, and Martin Ădegaard curled in a gorgeous third from the edge. Saka absolutely cooked his full-back all game, and Ădegaard ran the tempo. On this performance, Arsenal look like a team that absolutely believes theyâre in the title race.
Meanwhile, Manchester United 1â1 Tottenham was pure frustration for the home crowd. Bruno Fernandes put United ahead with a composed penalty after a clumsy challenge on Rasmus HĂžjlund, but Spurs hit back as Son Heung-min slid in to tap home a slick counterattack. Unitedâs stars flattered to deceive â Marcus Rashford drifted in and out, while Bruno kept trying the Hollywood ball that never quite landed. Son, on the other hand, was sharp every time Spurs broke forward and easily their standout attacker.
What this does to the Premier League table
Liverpoolâs late winner flips the mood at the top. City drop huge points, Arsenal close the gap, and suddenly every single kick next week feels like a mini-final.Liverpoolâs three points push them right up against Cityâs shoulders, with Arsenal breathing heavily down both of their necks. Haalandâs goal keeps him in the Golden Boot hunt, but Salahâs strike today means he stays locked into that top scorers today conversation as well. From a pure numbers standpoint, the title race just went from tense to absolutely combustible.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
Champions League vibes & wider soccer news
You can feel it already: results like todayâs are going to hit the Champions League news cycle too. Managers will be judged on how they rotate squads after these high-intensity league battles. Liverpoolâs energy levels looked through the roof, which is scary for anyone meeting them in Europe. City, usually ice-cold under pressure, showed a rare bit of emotional wobble after that VAR call and disallowed Foden strike. Keep an eye on how Pep reacts in his next presser â heâs going to be asked about that decision non-stop.Around Europe, other football league table stories are bubbling, but today the spotlight is firmly on England. Neutral fans got exactly what they ordered: big names, big goals, big controversy.
Social Media spotlight â VAR meltdown and Salah love-in
The online reaction? Completely unhinged, obviously. The hashtag dominating X/Twitter right now is #LIVMCI, and your feed is split between Liverpool fans partying, City fans raging over VAR, and neutrals replaying Szoboszlaiâs deflected winner on loop.The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans furious over the VAR decision that ruled out Foden's goal
Over on YouTube, the highlight providers are racing each other to get the clips up first â every replay of Salahâs opener, Haalandâs equaliser, and Szoboszlaiâs late strike is going to be living rent-free in the algorithm tonight.
Reporterâs verdict â this is what title drama looks like
From my seat, this felt like one of those season-defining nights. Liverpool played like a side that simply refused to accept a draw. Salah was ruthless, Szoboszlaiâs mentality was unreal, and van Dijk looked like the old version of himself in the last 20 minutes, shutting the door on Haaland completely.City, though, will kick themselves. You canât rely on moments of De Bruyne magic forever if the rest of the team loses its head after a decision goes against them. In my opinion, the way they reacted to the VAR call â arms in the air, focus drifting â is exactly why they conceded late. Champions play the whistle, not the replay.
As for individual verdicts: Salah: world-class. Haaland: lethal finish, but not enough. De Bruyne: still genius, but needs help. Saka and Ădegaard at Arsenal? Thatâs a pair that looks ready to drag their club into a three-way slugfest for the title.
The football results today didnât just change the scoreboard â they changed the entire mood of the league. Every manager, every fanbase, every player chasing the Golden Boot and the trophy knows it.
Check full stats & standings now
Editorial Note: This article is for entertainment and information purposes regarding current sports events. Sports betting and financial investments carry risks. Please gamble responsibly. Always check odds and terms with the provider.
Disclaimer regarding our articles: No investment advice, no buy or sell recommendation. Information on prices, companies, and markets is provided without guarantee; changes are possible at any time. Stock market transactions can lead to substantial losses. Our articles are created and reviewed in whole or in part automatically with the support of AI.
