Manchester City produced a stunning late comeback to beat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield on Sunday in a dramatic Premier League encounter decided by an Erling Haaland stoppage-time penalty. Dominik Szoboszlai had given Liverpool the lead in the 68th minute with a spectacular free kick, but Bernardo Silva equalized in the 85th minute before Haaland converted from the spot in the 92nd minute after goalkeeper Alisson Becker brought down Matheus Nunes inside the box. The result marked City's first league victory at Anfield with fans present since 2003 and their first league double over Liverpool since 1937.
The first half was a tightly contested affair with Manchester City dominating possession and creating the better chances. Pep Guardiola's side registered 10 shots to Liverpool's three before the break, with an expected goals tally of 1.17 to 0.14 in City's favor. Gianluigi Donnarumma was largely untroubled in the City goal while Alisson was forced into several saves at the other end. Liverpool manager Arne Slot's side struggled to find their rhythm against a well-organized City pressing system that disrupted the home side's usual passing patterns through midfield.
The match burst into life when Szoboszlai stepped up to strike a free kick from approximately 25 yards in the 68th minute. The Hungarian midfielder hit the ball cleanly with his instep, sending it curling past the City wall and kissing the inside of the left post before nestling into the net. Anfield erupted as Liverpool appeared to be heading for a crucial victory, but City responded with characteristic resilience. In the 85th minute, Rayan Cherki, who had come on as a substitute in the 60th minute along with Ruben Dias, delivered a cross into the box that Haaland headed toward goal, and Bernardo Silva was on hand to finish from close range and level the scores.
The match descended into chaos in stoppage time. In the 92nd minute, Matheus Nunes raced onto a long pass and was clattered by Alisson, who rushed off his line and took down the City midfielder inside the penalty area, sending him crashing into the advertising boards. Referee Craig Pawson pointed to the spot after consulting VAR, and Haaland stepped up to fire the penalty into the left corner with composure, sending Anfield into stunned silence. Alisson received a yellow card for the challenge rather than a red, as the officials judged that Donnarumma had the penalty area covered.
The drama continued deep into added time when Cherki appeared to score a third for City, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review determined that Haaland had fouled Szoboszlai in the buildup. However, the review also revealed that Szoboszlai had committed a denial of a goal-scoring opportunity foul on Haaland moments before, resulting in a straight red card for the Liverpool midfielder. Donnarumma then produced a crucial stretching save to deny Alexis Mac Allister as 10-man Liverpool threw everything forward in a desperate final push. Virgil van Dijk and Marc Guehi both received yellow cards during the frantic closing stages.
The defeat leaves Liverpool 14 points behind league leaders Arsenal and deals a significant blow to their title defense, while City's victory keeps their own faint hopes alive. City finished the match with 13 shots to Liverpool's 12, with five on target compared to two for the home side. The result extends City's recent resurgence under Guardiola following a difficult start to the season and raises questions about Liverpool's ability to mount a sustained title challenge in the second half of the campaign.
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