The clash between Premier League titans Liverpool and Manchester City ended in pandemonium on Monday morning AEDT.
After Erling Haaland made it 2-1 with a penalty in the third minute of stoppage time, Liverpool were chasing hard for an equaliser when City’s Rayan Cherki won the ball near the halfway line with Reds goalkeeper Alisson still stuck upfield.
Haaland and Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai – who scored a stunning free-kick 30 minutes earlier to put his team ahead – were in a foot race to reach the ball first before the Hungarian appeared to pull Haaland back.
The big Norwegian then returned the favour, clearly holding Szoboszlai back, and as a result the ball beat both men to the goal line, leading to wild celebrations from Pep Guardiola’s side.
But those celebrations were cut short when it became clear there was a VAR check underway, with the goal eventually chalked off because Szoboszlai’s foul was deemed a red card offence, with advantage apparently unable to be played because Haaland fouled him back.
It led to the bizarre sight of both sets of players being unhappy with the same decision, albeit for different reasons, while Liverpool were also upset at a couple of earlier calls that went against them, in particular Marc Guehi’s clear foul on Mohamed Salah that the home side thought should have been a red card.
‘They say the Premier League is the best league in the world but then refs have to be consistent as well.’ 🗣️
Ryan Gravenberch believes Liverpool should’ve had a penalty or two themselves against Manchester City.
↳ Premier League. Live & On Demand with 4K on Football’s New… pic.twitter.com/lUorVxtWW7
— Stan Sport Football (@StanSportFC) February 8, 2026
Sky Sports pundit and Manchester United legend Gary Neville spoke for many fans when he said officials had just “killed one of the great moments of the season”.
“I know there’s rules but there is the smell of the game,” Neville said. “Talk about killjoy. Just let the goal be.
“You live to watch games like this. I am a fan of VAR, but it has just killed the joy.”
Haaland was even more blunt when asked about the referee’s decision.
“Just give the goal, don’t give a red card. Simple as that,” Haaland said.
In any case City held on for a 2-1 victory, meaning they’re still six points behind ladder-leaders Arsenal after the Gunners’ comfortable win over Sunderland on Sunday morning AEDT.
Your Next Read
Meanwhile Crystal Palace earned their first Premier League win in two months after scrapping to a 1-0 win over Brighton.
Ismaila Sarr was the hero for Palace, scoring the game’s only goal midway through the second half, in the process lifting them above Brighton into 13th spot in the ladder.