Man City reignite title race as Arsenal, Liverpool, Szoboszlai suffer Anfield chaos | OneFootball

Liverpool 1 Manchester City 2 was a game lacking any quality whatsoever until a handsome Hungarian man stepped up and did something quite special. Lightning really does strike twice.

The same blade of grass. The same technique. But a different side, different goalkeeper, different opposition, and most significiantly, a different end result.

Dominik Szoboszlai sure can hit them. But, ultimately, it meant absolutely sod all.

His world-class, long-range free-kick had Arsenal fans kicking their sofas on matchday three, but they were jumping off them in jubilation this time as, for 10 minutes, they were Premier League champions-elect.

Hilariously, Szoboszlai’s world-class free-kick was probably the only moment of true quality in the game, but it set up one of the most chaotic ends to a Premier League match.

Football is a cruel game at times. Szoboszlai being the only player to keep Bernardo Silva onside for City’s equaliser was cruel. Him getting sent off in the very last seconds was cruel (but deserved). Alisson’s foul to give away a penalty was not cruel. It was silly. It was also deserved. And it re-opened a title race that was closed minutes earlier.

It felt like something was brewing at 1-1. At 2-1 City, nobody could have written what the hell would happen next.

Erling Haaland scored his first Anfield goal to get closer to completing the Premier League away-ground set and ensure this title race is far from over.

There were some dubious moments before the most remarkable goal and VAR intervention of all time, but people will have already forgotten that Marc Guehi might have been sent off and that Mohamed Salah could have won a penalty.

People will also forget that it was another significant City second-half drop-off. The only thing anyone will care about is what happened during injury time.

Haaland’s penalty came three minutes into seven added and that alone was enough drama to satisfy most, Arsenal aside.

What followed was the most hilarious ‘goal’ ever. Alisson was out of his goal as Liverpool searched for an equaliser, Rayan Cherki kicked the ball towards the City supporters and it then became a foot race between Haaland and Szoboszlai to retrieve it. Ultimately, neither did, because Szoboszlai pulled Haaland back, denying him a clear goalscoring opportunity, Haaland had a tug himself, and the ball trickled over the line.

It was pure bedlam, but VAR just had to ruin it.

Craig Pawson saw both fouls but allowed the goal to stand. We can’t blame him, but we want to.

By the letter of the law, it was a Szoboszlai red card, a City free-kick and, most importantly, no goal.

City still won, so it’s not entirely significant, but that won’t stop VAR from being vilified.

Szoboszlai is now suspended, Liverpool have salt rubbed into the wounds, and the funniest goal of all time did not count. The latter truly is the biggest travesty.

Injury time made up for 70-plus minutes of boring, boring football, which suited ‘boring, boring’ title favourites Arsenal.

It is a result with huge implications for the title race. Six points is still a sizeable Arsenal advantage, but this result alone is enough to trigger the familiar fear that this, once again, will not be their year.

It should be their year. It has to be their year. But a win at Anfield means more. And if anyone is going to bottle this, it’s probably Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.

There were Champions League implications too. Liverpool have qualification to think about and a home defeat against anyone is far from ideal in that respect.

With so many big players underperforming and their best player now suspended, things look bleak.

They were really quite poor against City on Sunday and, after Brentford won at Newcastle United, defeat leaves them tied with the Bees on 39 points with a +5 goal difference after 25 games.

Fortunately for the Reds, the teams behind them may not concern them too much. Brentford, Everton, Fulham and Sunderland could yet fall away, while Newcastle and Spurs are hardly in contention at this stage.

But Liverpool are sixth. Four points behind fifth-placed Chelsea. That doesn’t get Champions League football. That gets Europa League football. And a year after winning the title at a canter, that is an absolute disaster.

Liverpool, like City, are now in must-win territory every time they play. The champions might yet be bailed out by the Premier League earning five Champions League spots again this season, but right now the Reds do not look better than Chelsea, Manchester United or Aston Villa. In fact, they look quite a lot worse.

The big story is still the title race, though, and Arsenal will be cacking their pants after this monumental Manchester City victory.

They went from jumping for joy at Szoboszlai’s carbon-copy wonder goal to pulling their hair out at Liverpool’s capitulation.

City are there. They are not going away.