Liverpool 2-3 Manchester City: Haaland penalty caps ten-man comeback in Anfield thriller

Anfield, 90+10 min – Erling Haaland slammed home a stoppage-time penalty to complete a remarkable Manchester City fight-back and keep the champions’ title hopes alive, but only after a chaotic finale that saw Liverpool reduced to ten men and a last-gasp City goal controversially chalked off.

The match looked to be drifting towards a 1-1 draw until the tenth minute of added time, when Matheus Nunes raced clear and was clipped by the onrushing Alisson. Referee Craig Pawson pointed to the spot and Haaland sent the keeper the wrong way, igniting wild celebrations among the away support and leaving Pep Guardiola emotionally spent on the touchline.

City had earlier trailed to a thunderous 30-yard Dominik Szoboszlai free-kick that arrowed inside the post on 76 minutes, cancelling out Bernardo Silva’s first-half opener against the run of play. Silva had broken the deadlock when he ghosted in behind the Liverpool line to convert Haaland’s looping header.

Yet the narrative twisted again in the 90th minute. With Liverpool throwing every centre-back forward, Cherki launched a counter and Haaland appeared certain to roll into an empty net until Szoboszlai hauled him down. VAR intervened, disallowing Cherki’s goal for the Hungarian’s denial of an obvious scoring opportunity and showing Szoboszlai a straight red. City took the resulting free-kick quickly, Nunes was felled, and Haaland completed the turnaround from the spot.

Silva, named player of the match, told Sky Sports: “Coming here is the toughest place in the Premier League, but we knew we had to win. When I scored I was happy, yet we needed another and Erling got it. The hope is there and we are going to fight until the end.”

The victory trims Arsenal’s lead at the summit to six points, though Guardiola’s side have played one match more. For Liverpool, the defeat ends a 14-game unbeaten league run at Anfield and leaves Arne Slot still searching for a first home win over City.

Controversy lingered long after the whistle. Supporters and pundits argued whether Szoboszlai’s initial foul on Haaland should have played advantage, allowing Cherki’s goal to stand. By the letter of the law, officials ruled the foul occurred before the scoring phase and upheld the red card.

City now turn their attention to a mid-week Champions League tie, while Liverpool must plan for two league matches without Szoboszlai, whose suspension arrives at a critical stage of their own top-four push.