Liverpool 1-2 Man City: Erling Haaland penalty seals chaotic City comeback in stoppage time to keep Premier League title race alive
Report and free match highlights as drama unfolded late on at Anfield in Manchester City's 2-1 victory; goals from Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland turned the game around after Dominik Szoboszlai's stunning free-kick; Hungarian was then sent off in stoppage time amid VAR confusion
Sunday 8 February 2026 20:19, UK
Erling Haaland scored a stoppage-time penalty as Manchester City came from behind late on to beat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield – and keep the title race alive.
Dominik Szoboszlai's sensational free-kick had looked set to secure the victory for the reigning Premier League champions but Bernardo Silva forced in an equaliser in the 84th minute before Alisson brought down Matheus Nunes to leave the crowd stunned.
Haaland then tucked away the spot-kick but there was still time for drama at both ends of the pitch. Gianluigi Donnarumma saved brilliantly from Alexis Mac Allister before Szoboszlai was sent off amid VAR confusion as Rayan Cherki's goal was ruled out.
The three points, secured in such dramatic fashion, move City back within six points of Arsenal at the top.
Arne Slot's Liverpool, meanwhile, remain four points behind fifth-placed Chelsea and in danger of missing out on next season's Champions League.
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How Man City conjured comeback
It was a game that took time to ignite, Haaland having the best chance of the first half just moments into the match, only for Alisson to smother. City were the better side in the first half but Liverpool threw everything at them in an astonishing second half.
Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike wasted good chances before Florian Wirtz should have done better than strike Marc Guehi, whose every touch was booed by the Liverpool fans. But none of it seemed to matter when Szoboszlai's free-kick rocketed into the net.
The Hungarian saw off Arsenal with a similar strike in front of the Kop but City conjured a comeback for the ages with substitute Cherki at its heart. It was his cross that Haaland nodded into Silva's path for the equaliser before he sent Nunes away to win the penalty.
Haaland's first Anfield goal proved the winner but only before Donnarumma's heroics and a moment of controversy when Cherki stroked home with Alisson up the pitch. Szoboszlai pulled Haaland back outside the box, and the City striker returned the favour in the area.
Haaland's foul meant, technically, the goal could not be given, but that required referee Craig Pawson to consider the earlier foul by Szoboszlai - and send off the Liverpool player for denying a goalscoring opportunity. It left both teams unsatisfied with the call.
"Just give the goal, don't give a red card. Simple as that," said Haaland afterwards. "It's the rules and how it is." But it was a footnote, really. The tale of this extraordinary match is that City - somehow - retain their hopes of recapturing the Premier League title.
Silva: If we'd lost title race was over
Man City captain Bernardo Silva speaking to Sky Sports:
"The whole team knew that if we lost this game, probably the title race is over. They're still in a much better position than us. That puts us a bit closer. We're going to fight until the end. It's six points, we're happy, but we need to keep doing our job - which we have not lately."
Guardiola: All we can do is breathe down Arsenal's neck
When those comments by his captain were put to Guardiola in the press conference, the City boss quipped: "They didn't tell me that [they thought it was over had they lost]. Maybe I am more optimistic than them. Watching Arsenal, are they going to lose more than three games? Maybe not, but in football you never know."
Guardiola later said: "I have a feeling that improving a little bit will not be enough to compete against Arsenal but still we have margin [to improve]. We have to [play them] at home and of course we have to beat them. And I've said, 13 games in the Premier League, from my point of view, from my little experience, is a lot of time, a lot.
"It's proper. When you go into the last games playing any team in a relegation battle, it's a proper game, football game. Because they live to survive and they have long weeks to prepare, [whereas] you come from FA Cup, you come from Carabao Cup, you come from the Champions League.
"That makes an influence in the title race, that's why being nine, 10, 11 points is more difficult, that's why all we can do is breathe down the neck of Arsenal, being there, and try if they sleep, if they make something [a mistake], use it."
Slot's frustration at Guehi not seeing red
There was an incident during the second half when Guehi pulled Salah's shirt when the Liverpool forward was just outside of the penalty box. The City defender received a yellow card for the foul but Slot felt Salah would have gone on to score.
"If l had to talk about one moment, it would be when Salah was through on goal and Guehi had his shirt," said Slot. "That was definitely a goalscoring opportunity. Out of a hundred people, we could find 20 people from the PGMOL who would say it wasn't a red card."
Nightmare finale adds to Slot's struggles
The first words of the Liverpool boss in the press conference after Liverpool's 2-1 defeat to Manchester City were that he was feeling "angry and frustrated" - and he went on to fixate on the decision not to send off Guehi for a tug on Salah's shirt.
That is understandable. So near and yet so far. Liverpool were closing in on a memorable victory that would have put them within two points of fourth. In the end, it is a crushing defeat that comes coupled with the suspension of Szoboszlai.
Maintaining any perspective in the circumstances will be difficult, but Liverpool's second-half showing did offer encouragement. They troubled City with their pressing and threatened to overwhelm them during long spells of the second half at Anfield.
"The improvement we have made since three or four months ago was visible for everyone," said Slot. "Second half, our standards went up, in terms of intensity, we were pressing them all over the place and that is the biggest improvement we have made.
"That the whole is capable against one of the teams that is maybe the best team in England in ball possession, to do so well off the ball is a big improvement. A fantastic second half. I was expecting more than being one goal up."
Instead, it is a defeat and, as Slot conceded in his final thoughts before departing, that undermines any talk of progress at Liverpool. "The issue is you don't see this improvement in the league table and that is the most important," said the Reds boss.
Liverpool go to Sunderland on Wednesday with their hosts having had an extra day of rest and with Slot trying to find yet another solution at right-back where he is now onto his fifth choice. A game that was nearly a turning point ends up only adding to the pressure.
