Manchester City produced an incredible comeback to beat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield and move back to within six points of Premier League leaders Arsenal
16:40, 09 Feb 2026Updated 17:47, 09 Feb 2026
After the full-time whistle at Anfield on Sunday, Bernardo Silva insisted the mood in the camp was clear before kick off: if City lost against Liverpool and allowed the gap to Arsenal to stretch to nine points, the Premier League title race would be over.
When Dominik Szoboszlai opened the scoring in the 74th minute, that concern could become a reality. However, a sensational 30 minutes of football followed which turned the tables on both the game and potentially the race for Premier League glory.
Now the dust has settled on a rollercoaster match at Anfield, MEN Sport has taken a look at five key moments which settled the game in City’s favour against Liverpool and ensured the three points would be returning back to the Etihad Stadium. From a style tweak to two key players, this is what we spotted.
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Haaland involvement
Erling Haaland has been playing for City long enough now for fans to realise what he does and does not bring to the table. He is not a relentless pressing machine who will run for the full 90 minutes and rush the centre-backs throughout.
But, when he gets a sniff of an opportunity inside the box or in shooting range, there is arguably nobody else you want over the ball. However, the Norwegian showed a different side to his game in the final half hour of the contest as he made two key contributions for his team – beyond scoring the winning penalty.
First, he offered an outlet as Matheus Nunes played a ball forward, linking up the play to relieve some of the pressure City were feeling immediately after conceding. His next contribution saw him peel off his marker to flick the ball on for Bernardo to equalise.
It was evidence once again, if needed, that if City can get Haaland involved, even when he is not scoring, he is incredibly useful to his teammates.
Change in style
Shortly after equalising, Pep Guardiola could be seen barking instructions to Gianluigi Donnarumma to play the ball long towards Haaland. This was no surprise considering the hold up play the striker showcased moments earlier.
But it was more proof that Guardiola has the flexibility which his critics believe he lacks. Guardiola showed on Sunday he is more than willing to adopt different styles to get the job done. Going route one is perhaps not his preferred method but in this scenario it was the best way to get the win.
Formation shift
With the scores level, City moved to a 4-1-3-2 formation which would ultimately pay dividends. Antoine Semenyo joined Haaland in the forward line to help create more options at the top of the pitch.
When City managed to get the penalty for the winner, they were the team playing more positively with Liverpool dropping deep while the Blues risked players in the final third. As Semenyo and Haaland occupied the centre-backs, City spread play out wide.
Nunes’ perfectly timed run allowed Bernardo to produce a wonderful weighted pass, teasing Alisson to commit and ultimately bring down the full-back for the penalty.
Managing the tempo
When the tempo is higher, City look a much better side but in the final moments, after a gruelling game up to that point, they were unable to play at a high intensity continuously. What was impressive was how City managed to switch between slow and faster play as they ultimately turned the game on its head.
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In the build-up to the equaliser and then the awarding of the penalty, City went from quite slow, casual passing to fast paced movement which caused Liverpool too many problems for them to deal with. This is a credit to the fitness of this group of players as there was only one team with the legs to be positive.
Donnarumma
With the advantage, City reverted to a defensive formation as they looked to see out the game. Semenyo came off for Nathan Ake which signified the Blues’ intentions.
But the decision to bring in Donnarumma this summer was justified in the final moments at Anfield. It was not just his world class stop to deny Alexis Mac Allister which meant he deserved the plaudits at the end, it was his overall authority in goal that impressed.
He commanded his area superbly, smothered the ball when low crosses were played into the box and produced a vital punch to clear an in-swinging corner soon after the Mac Allister save. City have arguably the best goalkeeper in the world and the performance from him after his team went 2-1 up ultimately kept the title race alive.
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