Late Erling Haaland penalty keeps Man City in title race as they beat Liverpool

By Carl Markham, Press Association

Erling Haaland kept Manchester City in the title race with an added-time penalty as Pep Guardiola’s side came from behind to win 2-1 in a chaotic finish.

After drawing three blanks the Norway international scored only his second Premier League goal since Christmas, and his first at Anfield, to give the visitors their first win in front of a crowd here since 2003.

The City striker was then involved in a bizarre finish as he and Dominik Szoboszlai chased Rayan Cherki’s shot from inside his own half with goalkeeper Alisson Becker upfield searching for an equaliser.

Szoboszlai pulled Haaland, who then tugged back the Hungary captain as the ball trickled over the line.

MAN CITY WIN A PREMIER LEAGUE CLASSIC 🤯 pic.twitter.com/8IArPNWHj1

— Premier League (@premierleague) February 8, 2026

After a VAR check referee Craig Pawson decided Haaland had been denied a goalscoring opportunity so ruled out the goal, awarded a free-kick 30 yards out and sent off Szoboszlai.

With six minutes remaining the title raced appeared all but over after a brilliant Szoboszlai free-kick looked like handing a huge advantage to leaders Arsenal.

But Bernardo Silva volleyed Haaland’s knockdown through the legs of Alisson, who then brought down Matheus Nunes to allow Haaland to reduce the Gunners’ lead to six points again.

For Liverpool it was a familiar story of failing to hold onto a lead which they only acquired in the 74th minute courtesy of another 30-yard Szoboszlai special.

Faced with just a two-man wall the midfielder-turned-right-back blasted a shot straight down the middle with a touch of away swerve to leave the 6ft 5in Gianluigi Donnarumma rooted to the spot.

Szoboszlai seems to save his best for the big occasions as he scored a similar goal to beat the Gunners in August.

But that was when Arne Slot’s side were still basking in the glow of being defending champions and that confidence has evaporated since then.

Bernardo Silva’s first league goal of the season offered City enough encouragement and when Alisson brought down Nunes, Haaland stepped up when it mattered most.

Prior to that he had not looked like ending his drought, with Alisson denying him twice in the first half, which set the tone for the visitors to dominate without really threatening and the home side to defend with a resilience not regularly seen this season.

City’s possession was greeted with boos with the loudest reserved for Marc Guehi, who would have been wearing red had the last day of the summer transfer window gone differently.

Despite their territorial dominance, Guardiola’s side created little and Liverpool responded with Mohamed Salah having a shot deflected wide by Guehi and then lobbing a shot onto the roof of the net after Donnarumma flapped at a Szoboszlai cross.

Absolute scenes 🤩🤪 pic.twitter.com/Zr47xWcP5j

— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 8, 2026

Bernardo Silva’s hand on Salah’s shoulder in the penalty area caused City a brief moment of concern and their confidence appeared to be waning in the second half.

Florian Wirtz, who had struggled to get in the game, saw more of the ball but it was makeshift right-back Szoboszlai who produced their first shot on target after 52 minutes, with Hugo Ekitike bending a shot wide and then heading wide when he should have scored.

City lost Abdukodir Khusanov to concussion inflicted by his own goalkeeper but focus turned to his central defensive partner Guehi who diverted Wirtz’s goalbound shot behind before being booked for pulling back Salah right on the edge of the area.

Salah blazed the free-kick into the Kop but Szoboszlai soon showed him how it should be done.

It was worthy of a winner but Bernardo Silva and Haaland had other ideas.