It looked like being another miserable trip to Anfield for Manchester City but they found a way to notch a huge win.

07:00, 09 Feb 2026

In the space of just nine minutes, the title race was turned on its head. From the brink of defeat and falling nine points behind Arsenal, Manchester City’s sensational comeback proved Pep Guardiola will fight until the bitter end.

Dominik Szoboszlai had put Liverpool ahead and let’s not forget City’s terrible second half record in the Premier League since January 1. City had not scored in the second half before Anfield, they had dropped seven points from goals conceded in second halves and that talked to them fading.

But the way City roared back at Anfield spoke volumes for their determination to push Arsenal and not give up. It had to be Bernardo Silva equalising. What a leader and warrior he has been during City’s glory years. He knows what it takes.

Then Erling Haaland’s wild celebration after he scored from the penalty spot showed how much it meant to the City players. The officials and their ridiculous jobsworth attitude robbed City of a third goal when common sense should have let it stand. Instead, Szoboszlai was sent off and the goal was chalked off. No-one wanted that.

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But this win was huge in the title race. If they had dropped nine points behind, the doubts would have crept in. You can be certain that Arsenal went from celebration to feeling flat because City had come back.

And you can also be sure that sent a message to Mikel Arteta that City will stay in the rearview mirror and will not give up. This is the team that has pipped Arsenal to the title in two of the last three seasons – and it feels like they have got the bit between their teeth again.

Marc Guehi was City’s standout player. He has brought a calmness and composure to City’s defence which really made a difference. He probably got very lucky when he pulled back Mohamed Salah and only got a yellow card rather than a red and that it was right on the edge of the penalty box.

But other than that, Guehi was terrific and City’s first half display was superb, even if they did not create too many chances. They exposed Liverpool’s frailties and even when Arne Slot’s men went ahead and were the better team in the second half still City did not surrender.

Incredibly, that was City’s first double over Liverpool in 89 years and their first win at Anfield in the Premier League since 2021 when it was in Covid times. You have to go back to 2003 to find a City win at Anfield in front of a crowd.

A lot of people think Arsenal are the best coached, have the best squad and are still favourites because, after all, they are six points ahead. But this will feel like more than three points for City. More than just a standard win. Because the title-o-meter went from fading chance to closing the gap.

City and Arsenal both have 13 games left and Arsenal also have to go to the Etihad. There is a long way to go yet. And now City will feel they have momentum and have put the fear factor back in Mikel Arteta’s squad.

City know what it takes. Arsenal know that City have done it before – and can do it again.

And that is why that crazy nine-minute turnaround felt so significant in this title race.

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The Carabao Cup Final will see Arsenal v Manchester City at London’s Wembley Stadium this March.

The WM Phoenix Open almost always delivers maximum drama and this year’s edition at the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale was no different.

Hideki Matsuyama entered Sunday’s final round with a one-shot lead over Si Woo Kim, Maverick McNealy, and Nicolai Hojgaard, with a pack of players including World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland not far behind.

Matsuyama didn’t find a fairway on the front nine on Sunday, but still managed to shoot a bogey-free, two-under 33 to maintain a one-shot lead over Kim and Michael Thorbjornsen as he entered the final nine.

Then, as things always do at TPC Scottsdale, things got wild.

Scheffler made birdies at 13, 14, 15 and 17 to get within one of Matsuyama. Chris Gotterup birdied 13, 14, 15, 17 and 18 to post 16 under. When Michael Thorbjornsen poured in an eagle putt at 15 he briefly pulled ahead of Matsuyama by one. But the tournament swung back in Matsuyama’s favor when he birdied 15 and Thorbjornsen bogeyed 16 ahead to fall one behind with two to play. Thorbjornsen dropped another shot at 17, which meant all Matsuyama had to do was par his way home for the final three holes to avoid a playoff with Gotterup.

But it wasn’t going to be that easy for Matsuyama. He hit his tee shot on 18 into the church pew bunkers and clipped the lip coming out. He was unable to get up and down from 43 yards, which meant for the seventh time in 11 years, the WM Phoenix Open was headed for a playoff. It was Matsuyama’s first bogey on the second nine for the entire week.

And that’s where the drama ended.

Gotterup pumped his drive right but got a kick into the fairway. Matsuyama was not as lucky. He pulled his tee shot left toward the bunkers again, but the ball hit a pole holding a gallery rope and bounced backward into the water.

Ten minutes later, Gotterup poured in a lengthy birdie putt to clinch his second win of the season and first career WM Phoenix Open title.

Here’s how much everyone made in Phoenix this week.

2026 WM Phoenix Open payout for every player

WIN: Chris Gotterup, $1.728 million

2. Hideki Matsuyama, $1.0464 million

T3. Scottie Scheffler, $439,480
Nicolai Hojgaard, $439,480
Akshay Bhatia, $439,480
Si Woo Kim, $439,480
Michael Thorbjornsen, $439,480

8. Jake Knapp, $300,000

9. Matt Fitzpatrick, $280,800

T10. Viktor Hovland, $242,400
Ryo Hisatsune, $242,400
Pierceson Coody, $242,400

T13. Maverick McNealy, $188,000
Kevin Roy, $188,000
Zecheng Dou, $188,000

T16. Daniel Berger, $160,800
Jordan Smith, $160,800

T18. Rickie Fowler, $122,720
Michael Kim, $122,720
Jacob Bridgeman, $122,720
Sahith Theegala, $122,720
Sepp Straka, $122,720
Mac Meissner, $122,720

T24. Ryan Fox, $82,320
Rico Hoey, $82,320
Kurt Kitayama, $82,320
Rasmus Hojgaard, $82,320

T28. Harris English, $62,948
Nick Taylor, $62,948
A.J. Ewart, $62,948
Ben Griffin, $62,948
Mackenzie Hughes, $62,948
Min Woo Lee, $62,948
Stephan Jaeger, $62,948

T35. Sam Stevens, $46,800
Wyndham Clark, $46,800
Alex Smalley, $46,800
Tom Kim, $46,800
J.T. Poston, $46,800
John Parry, $46,800

T41. Xander Schauffele, $34,080
Keith Mitchell, $34,080
Cameron Young, $34,080
Rasmus Neegaard-Petersen, $34,080
Johnny Keefer, $34,080
Sami Valimaki, $34,080
Kristoffer Retian, $34,080

T48. Christo Lamprecht, $24,608
Chad Ramey, $24,608
Michael Brennan, $24,608
Max McGreevy, $24,608
Zach Bauchou, $24,608
S.T. Lee, $24,608

T54. Collin Morikawa, $22,272
S.H. Kim, $22,272
Joe Highsmith, $22,272
Brian Campbell, $22,272
Kensei Hirata, $22,272
Sudarshan Yellamaraju, $22,272

T60. Patrick Rodgers, $21,312
Adrien Saddier, $21,312
Takumi Kanaya, $21,312
John VanDerLaan, $21,312

T64. Gary Woodland, $20,736
Davis Thompson, $20,736

T66. Max Homa, $20,352
Chandler Phillips, $20,352

T68. Bud Cauley, $19,872
Hank Lebioda, $19,872
Neal Shipley, $19,872

71. Keita Nakajima, $19,488

72. Patton Kizzire, $19,296

73. Cam Davis, $19,104

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Two-thirds of the way into the season and Liverpool are closer to Brentford than Chelsea, nearer in terms of points to their neighbours Everton than their old enemies Manchester United. Still more damningly, they are further from league leaders Arsenal, 17 ahead of them, than West Ham, 16 behind them in the relegation zone.

It was an understatement to say their campaign was not supposed to go this way; not as defending champions, not with the £450m of spending that Arne Slot prefers to see referenced in terms of the £300m Liverpool have brought in during his reign.

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Last February, it was victory against Manchester City that, in effect, seemed to seal the title. It sent Liverpool 11 points clear with 11 games to play. A year on, defeat to Pep Guardiola’s team, in another game when Dominik Szoboszlai scored, left Liverpool with a very different equation. A loss at the Etihad Stadium in November had Slot conceding Liverpool could not talk about the title. As City completed a first league double over Liverpool since 1937, it leaves them as outsiders to qualify for the Champions League.

Arguably Liverpool have had worse results of late without losing – the home draws with Leeds and Burnley – but the context rendered this a terrible weekend. Chelsea won, Manchester United too. Liverpool are four points from fifth; and while fifth is almost certain to bring Champions League football, they are playing catch-up when short of players, without the benefit of form, and with an intimidating fixture list.

Some 13 other teams have taken more points in 2026. Liverpool have 13 matches to go. But only six are at home. Their trips include Sunderland, the only team unbeaten at home, Everton, for the first derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium, United and Aston Villa. It is more an obstacle course than a fixture list.

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The sands are shifting, and not in the direction Slot would want. “If you compare that to three or four months ago, you see so much improvement,” he said. “But the issue is you don’t see the improvement in the league table.” The broader picture may support his analysis. Liverpool had lost nine of 12 in all competitions. Now they have only been beaten twice in 17. Yet if those damaging draws could make the difference, other elements may be decisive.

Liverpool started the season as the specialists in late goals. Now, equalling a Premier League record, they have been condemned to defeat in injury time four times: at Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Bournemouth and now at home to City. “It’s every time a different goal, of course,” said Slot. The latest stemmed from a rare Alisson error, conceding the penalty Erling Haaland scored. Liverpool could still rue over-committing to attack at Stamford Bridge, which brought a three-point swing in Chelsea’s direction. Both Palace and Bournemouth’s late goals came from long throws: if set-pieces are a theme of Liverpool’s season, their expensive overhaul has seemed to leave them without enough height.

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Or enough available defenders. Liverpool are unfortunate to have four defensive injuries, including season-ending ones to Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley, but even as they prioritised next season by arranging the summer signing of Jeremy Jacquet, they failed to address an immediate need on deadline day. Szoboszlai was only a stand-in right-back and now he is suspended. Jeremie Frimpong will not be back at Sunderland on Wednesday and Joe Gomez probably won’t. That may mean Curtis Jones or Wataru Endo is the next emergency right-back.

A lack of strength in depth is a wider problem, and perhaps a reason why they can concede late. They have been breached 12 times in the final 15 minutes of games – only Newcastle, Leeds and Bournemouth have let in more – and it could reflect a shortage of high-class substitutes. Which, given the outlay, might sound ridiculous, but Liverpool have seemed permanently stretched, Slot left short-staffed. Injuries are only part of the explanation for that. The decision-makers, Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards, who assume more responsibility for the transfer business, are partly culpable.

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On Sunday, a substitute, Rayan Cherki, helped make the difference for City. It seemed indisputable that Guardiola had the stronger bench. Liverpool contrived to spend a fortune and yet look in need of several more signings.

That can come with a cost and Slot invariably talks of Liverpool’s self-sustaining model. Jurgen Klopp was equally aware of it, and of the financial significance of qualifying for the Champions League. He felt it was a priority every season even when outsiders assumed it would come automatically. Now the risk is that Liverpool’s income drops considerably next year.

For Slot, there is an added importance. He has the backing of the Liverpool hierarchy for now, even if not all of the fanbase are behind him. It may be harder to retain that support without Champions League qualification. And now it has started to look more likely that their European football will come on Thursday nights next season.

Nick Ball lost his featherweight world title this weekend in Liverpool, suffering a dramatic twelfth round stoppage at the hands of Brandon Figueroa. In the aftermath, two-time heavyweight king Tyson Fury has sent him a message of support.

Liverpool’s Ball went back and forth with Figueroa throughout and was looking to finish strong for a chance to retain his WBA belt on the cards. The Mexican-American had other ideas, however, producing a thunderous left hook to drop Ball and closing the show shortly after.

Speaking on Instagram, Fury addressed Ball directly.

“This is a message to Nick Ball. Fantastic fight, mate, unlucky. This is boxing. It happens. You win some, you lose some. Get some time off, well-deserved rest, get back in the gym. Great little fighter. You can come back and be world champion again. 100%.”

‘The Gypsy King’ then turned his attention to people ‘hating on’ the Brit.

“And this one for all the haters out there and the people who ain’t got no guts to get in the boxing ring and try it. You’re absolutely shameful. Embarrassing w—kers. Hating on people who try their best in live. The man’s fought a two-weight world champion and you try and give him stick. You pieces of rubbish. Get in their and have a fight yourselves you cowards. It’s always a cowardly person who will hate on someone who’s trying to do something that they could only dream about doing. Chin up, Nick, all the best.”

Some of Ball’s team came in for criticism online for the way they reacted to Figueroa’s team celebrating victory before ensuring the former champ was seen to by medical staff. Figueroa apologised to the fans in attendance following this, expressing his respect for Ball.

On February 7, 2026, speaking to TMZ at the 2026 Fanatics Super Bowl Party in San Francisco’s Pier 48, Diplo shared that BTS’ ARIRANG release would surprise global audiences. Although the American producer has not disclosed his exact involvement 14 track album. He noted that RM, Jin, Jimin, j-hope, Jungkook, Taehyung, and SUGA played active roles during recording.

“I just feel so lucky because I’ve been working for three decades and to link up with a group like that, and have them trust me and do some awesome music … honestly, it’s gonna shock the world. Craziest album ever,” the 47-year-old stated.

He described the studio sessions as focused and idea-driven. Jungkook’s vocals were highlighted for their natural precision. The group was also described as relaxed and easy to work with. The project was ranked by Diplo as his “biggest thing” in his career so far. Following the DJ’s remarks, fans are in a frenzy for the upcoming release.

“Can bighit share more things about this album already like WE CANT WAIT,” an X user commented.

Admirers say Diplo’s involvement has sparked curiosity about what kind of project ARIRANG will be. Many are calling it a “defining” work, echoing how Diplo conveyed it.

Others are saying that the septet is always “loved” by the people they work with, and Diplo is no exception.

More about BTS’ ARIRANG comeback

BTS will reenter the music scene on March 20, 2026, closing a near four year break. The return arrives with the group’s fifth studio album, ARIRANG, followed by a large-scale global tour. This release marks the first complete reunion since the members paused activities for mandatory military service.

Album pre-orders began on January 16. The title draws from a traditional Korean folk song tied to perseverance, grief, and hope. The project also includes reported outside collaborators, with Grammy-winning producers Mike WiLL Made It and Diplo involved. The comeback expands through a partnership with Netflix, which will host a live comeback broadcast on March 21. The ticket information to follow.

A feature-length documentary titled BTS: The Return will debut worldwide on March 27. It will present behind-the-scenes access to the group’s reunion. Following the album launch, the Bangtan Boys will commence BTS: WORLD TOUR ARIRANG. It will cover Asia, North America, Europe, Latin America, and Australia, with further 2027 dates to be notified later.

BTS’ comeback has intensified fans’ anticipation ahead of one of the most closely watched releases of the year.