Liverpool stun Man City in Anfield thriller as Haaland misfires – live fallout
Published on 02/07/2026 at 17:23 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
The match exploded from the first whistle. Liverpool flew out of the blocks, snapping into every duel, and within 12 minutes the place was shaking. Trent Alexander-Arnold picked out Darwin Núñez with a filthy diagonal, Núñez cushioned it down for Mohamed Salah, and the Egyptian king drilled a low left-foot finish inside the far post. 1–0 Liverpool, Salah on the scoresheet again, and the title race felt like it was tilting red.
But you know City under Pep – they don’t panic. They spun the ball around, dragged Liverpool’s press from side to side, and on 27 minutes they were level. Kevin De Bruyne, operating between the lines like it’s his home address, slipped a killer ball into Phil Foden; Foden chopped inside Virgil van Dijk and bent a gorgeous right-foot curler into the far corner. 1–1, pure quality. That’s your Football results today distilled into one moment: two world-class sides, trading blows, no fear.
The shock? Erling Haaland was strangely quiet. He did have a massive chance late in the first half – Bernardo Silva’s cross put it on a plate six yards out, but Haaland’s header went straight at Alisson. You almost never see that from him. The Anfield crowd roared like they’d scored a goal, and Haaland looked up at the sky, knowing he’d let Liverpool off the hook.
Second-half madness: Núñez chaos & Salah cool as ice
Right after the restart, the game went ballistic. On 52 minutes, Liverpool retook the lead from a set-piece. A corner from Dominik Szoboszlai was only half-cleared, and the ball dropped invitingly to Darwin Núñez at the edge of the box. One touch, then bang – a right-foot rocket through a crowd of bodies and past Ederson, who barely moved. 2–1 Liverpool, Núñez screaming into the Kop, fist pumping, pure mayhem.
City answered fast. Just eight minutes later, they carved Liverpool open with a trademark passing sequence. Rodri to De Bruyne, De Bruyne wide to Jeremy Doku, Doku squared a low ball across the six-yard box and there was Bernardo Silva sliding in to make it 2–2. That goal summed City up: patience, precision, and then a knife to the heart.
But the real uproar came on 71 minutes with the moment everyone’s talking about. Haaland thought he’d finally got his goal – he bullied Ibrahima Konaté, turned, and smashed a finish in off the bar. The City fans went wild… for about 30 seconds. VAR stepped in, and after a long, tense check, the referee ruled that Haaland had tugged Konaté’s shirt in the build-up. Goal disallowed. Anfield erupted like they’d just won the league, and social media instantly went nuclear over the decision.
City were still protesting when Liverpool hit them with the killer punch. On 78 minutes, a loose pass from Kyle Walker was pounced on by Alexis Mac Allister, who fed Mohamed Salah on the right. Salah drove into the box, chopped back onto his left, and slotted calmly inside the near post for 3–2. Ice-cold. Two goals for Salah, two massive contributions from Núñez, and City suddenly staring at a huge defeat.
Haaland’s night ended in frustration – another half-chance late on, a shot dragged wide, and plenty of head-shaking. From a superstar who lives on Football results today and top scorers today charts, this was an off-day, no question. On the other side, Salah reminded everyone why he’s still one of the most ruthless finishers on the planet.
Title race shockwaves & live table context
This result has blown the season wide open. Liverpool’s win drags them right into the thick of the title race, while City suddenly look vulnerable, especially away from home. The gaps between first and fourth are razor-thin, and every single goal now feels like it’s worth double.
In terms of the football league table, Liverpool leapfrog City with this win, piling pressure on the reigning champions and putting serious heat on their nearest rivals. City’s normally ridiculous goal difference is still a weapon, but dropped points in these heavyweight clashes are brutal. With Arsenal and others lurking, the margin for error at the top is disappearing fast.
What does this mean for the title race? Click here for the live standings
Check how this 3–2 at Anfield reshapes everything: Liverpool climbing, City sweating, and the rest of the league hoping both giants start dropping more points. Every fan is hammering refresh on that table right now.
Champions League angles & star power check-in
From a Champions League news perspective, this game sends a big message. Liverpool look like a side nobody wants to face in Europe’s knockout rounds: Salah lethal, Núñez chaos, Trent dictating play, and Anfield turning into a pressure cooker again. City still have the squad depth and experience to go deep, but today’s match report won’t make pretty reading for Pep when he rewatches that defending in transition.
Mohamed Salah: Hero, simple as that. Two goals, nonstop threat, and he torched the City back line whenever he isolated his man. In a world full of young stars like Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé, Salah just keeps stacking world-class nights.
Erling Haaland: You can’t sugarcoat it – flop by his standards today. He missed a big first-half chance, had his second-half thunderbolt cancelled by VAR for a foul, and never really bullied Liverpool the way he usually bullies centre-backs. Nobody doubts he’ll respond next week, but for once, he was the storyline for the wrong reasons.
Kevin De Bruyne: Vintage creator mode. An assist, constant danger between the lines, and the only City player who looked like he could slow Anfield down. If City are going to chase down the leaders in the football league table, De Bruyne staying fit is absolutely non-negotiable.
Social Media Spotlight
The Internet is Exploding: 3 Social Media Highlights
X Discussion: Fans losing it over the VAR call on Haaland's disallowed goal
My take: This was a statement, not just a win
In my opinion, this wasn’t just a big three points – it was a straight-up statement from Liverpool. They out-fought and out-ran City when it mattered, and their stars delivered under maximum pressure. Salah played like a man who refuses to leave any Golden Boot talk to the Haalands and Mbappés of the world, while Núñez did exactly what Liverpool bought him for: chaos, aggression, and end product.
On the flip side, City felt a bit… human. Haaland looked frustrated, the back line looked rattled, and even Pep’s changes couldn’t completely flip the script. You can blame the VAR decision if you want – and plenty of fans are – but champions usually find a way to ride that storm. Today, they didn’t.
If this is the level we’re getting as we head deeper into the season, the Premier League live schedule from now till May is going to be absolutely unmissable. Every top-six clash is a mini-final, every dropped point is a mini-disaster, and the Football results today are shaping the whole narrative week by week.
Closing whistle: Don’t blink now
This Liverpool 3–2 Manchester City classic is exactly why you never take your eyes off this league. The goals, the drama, the controversy – it all feeds into that constantly shifting table, with clubs scrambling to keep pace both domestically and in Europe.
Bookmark the standings, because with performances like this, the top is going to flip more than once before the season ends.
Check full stats & standings now
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