Liverpool vs. Man City live score: Premier League result, updates, stats as Ekitike goes close for Reds

By | February 8, 2026
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Manchester City know they cannot afford any more slip-ups as they head into Sunday’s game at Liverpool sitting nine points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.

City threw away a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 at Tottenham last weekend and Arsenal’s routine 3-0 victory over Sunderland on Saturday moved Mikel Arteta’s men further ahead.

Defeat at a ground where City have not won in front of a crowd since 2003 would likely drag Pep Guardiola’s side back into the battle for spots in the top four and end their title hopes.

Liverpool have put their own Anfield struggles behind them by racking up 10 goals over the course of back-to-back wins against Qarabag and Newcastle United.

The Sporting News is following the Liverpool vs. Man City match live, providing score updates and commentary

Liverpool vs. Man City live score

  2nd Half Goalscorers
Liverpool 0  —
Man City 0  —

Venue: Anfield, Liverpool
Referee: Craig Pawson

Keep track of every game and every goal via SN’s live Premier League scoreboard

Lineups:

Liverpool (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Alisson (GK) — 8. Dominik Szoboszlai, 5. Ibrahima Konate, 4. Virgil van Dijk, 6. Milos Kerkez — 38. Ryan Gravenberch, 10. Alexis Mac Allister — 11. Mohamed Salah, 7. Florian Wirtz, 18. Cody Gakpo — 22. Hugo Ekitike

Man City (4-3-3, right to left): 25. Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK) — 27. Matheus Nunes, 45. Abdukodir Khusanov, 15. Marc Guehi, 21. Rayan Ait-Nouri — 20. Bernardo Silva, 16. Rodri, 33. Nico O’Reilly — 42. Antoine Semenyo, 9. Erling Haaland, 7. Omar Marmoush 

MORE: Tijjani Reijnders gives Man City huge warning over Anfield hoodoo ahead of Liverpool trip

Liverpool vs. Man City live updates, highlights, and commentary

71 mins: The yellow card call remains. Salah over the ball. He hacks it way over. Szoboszlai probably get the next one.

69 mins: Guehi takes Salah down right on the edge of the area. He’s booked. I think Salah wanted a red there. Dias had played him onside. There is a VAR check for whether this is the denial of a goalscoring opportunity.

67 mins: Liverpool free-kick from Szoboszlai is half-cleared. Gravenberch takes aim from distance and his shot isn’t really much good to anybody.

65 mins: Back come Liverpool, chance for Wirtz. He looks for placement instead of power and Guehi is able to make a brilliant block. Corner. Van Dijk attacks and the back post and Liverpool have another on the other side.

64 mins; Liverpool let Dias advance, he keeps coming and lets fly left-footed. That wasn’t bad, you know.

61 mins: Common sense prevails as Dias comes on as a concussion replacement for Khusanov. He took a Donnarumma knee straight to the face, it looked awful. He’s up and walking but it’s right to protect him on medical grounds. Cherki replaces Marmoush in a conventional substitution, which should help City get back on the ball a little.

57 mins: Mac Allister with cut touch into the box for Gakpo. He’s offside but he doesn’t know that as he lashes over. Donnarumma came hurtling out again and has collided with Khusanov. he needs treatment and that looks like a nasty one.

56 mins: Ait-Nouri does well in the Liverpool half, Marmoush sets it back to Semenyo but Alisson us behind the shot. The Liverpool goalkeeper launches it forward and Liverpool have four on three. Ekitike to Salah, meets the return cross… header wide! He should score.

54 mins: The noise inside Anfield finally whipping up as Donnarumma comes clattering out to reach a cross before Ekitike. Are City having one of their second-half slide again. They suddenly can’t get on the ball.

53 mins: Liverpool rumble forward, Salah to Wirtz, who avoids Rodri’s efforts to intercept. The ball comes to Ekitike and he whips it wide of the far post.

51 mins: Mac Allister finds Kerkez to get Liverpool moving, only Gakpo to stray absent-mindedly offside.

48 mins: Van Dijk fouls Haaland clumsily with his back to goal and is booked. Bernardo floats a free-kick into the box that was never likely to threaten.

47 mins: Alisson dicily out of his ground with Marmoush on the charge. He gets there. The Egypt forward could have been braver, I think.

46 mins: Sharper from Liverpool, as Gakpo gets into the City box, finds Salah, whose shot isn’t caught cleanly and blocked.

Kickoff: 2nd Half

Off we go again, no changes for either side

Halftime

Semenyo has another dart and Liverpool but runs out of road and we’re done for a little while. Liverpool will be the happier of the two sides to get in at 0-0. Aside from a promising spell either side of the half hour, they’ve been second best. One thing to encourage Arne Slot is City’s habit of collapsing during second halves recently. so Liverpool might be through the storm. On the other hand, City’s bench is much stronger on paper.

45 mins: Two added minutes to conclude a pulsating but still goalless half. 

43 mins: Salah flops onto the floor under mininal contact from Bernardo. Quick check from the VAR and on we go.

40 mins: Another fine spell for City, with Bernardo to the fore. Liverpool can’t get out. Marmoush goes for the spectacular from 30 yards. Not a bad effort but the visitors should have maybe kept their foot on the throat a little more there.

37 mins: Donnarumma is an excellent goalkeeper but here again looks like a man only recently introduced to his own feet. City get away with it, but it remains so odd seeing him in a Guardiola team.

34 mins: Rodri gets down the right wing. What the hell is a polar bear doing in Arlington, Texas? He hooks a cross towards Haaland, who hits his shot sweetly. Alisson is right in behind it, though.

33 mins: Another moment of promise for Liverpool, who are having their best spell, as Salah slide Wirtz into the box towards the byline. Again City scramble back effectively enough.

31 mins: Wirtz launches a lovely pass from deep to release Ekitike. Liverpool have a three-on-three but Guehi stands his man up well to avert the danger. A little insight into Liverpool’s summer transfer operations there!

28 mins: Donnarumma ventures haphazardly towards his far post and doesn’t deal with a high ball under pressure from Konate. Salah dries to catch him out with a lofted effort that is always beating the crossbar.

27 mins: Corner aimed to Van Dijk at the back post. Liverpool keep it alive, at least until Szoboszlai passes out of play. Back come the hosts abnd Gakpo scraps his way into winning another corner.

26 mins: Mac Allister brings Liverpool to life by zipping a pass to Salah, His first touch allows Guehi to get back and deflect the shot behind.

25 mins: More City pressure. Haaland makes the wrong run as the ball scoots across the six-yard box. Semenyo’s shot is deflected behind by Kerkez. Silva’s corner is headed clear at the near post and his second cross sails over everyone.

22 mins: Ait-Nouri darts around the outside and gets to the byline. The low cross gets stuck under Haaland’s feet, he digs it out and Marmoush’s shot is deflected wide. The hosts see off the corner and Guehi has a header when the ball comes back that doesn’t threaten.

21 mins: Anfield rises for the customary tribute to Diogo Jota. Their team had to keep chasing the ball.

18 mins: Yikes, Guehi storms into the box at a rate of knots to attack the corner. Where did he start that run? The other side of Stanley Park? Liverpool get it away.

17 mins: City’s front three get to work again, once more with Haaland coming uncustomarily deep. It works, he finds Marmoush, who wins a corner.

16 mins: Nunes plays Marmoush into the area. He slows down and tries to invite contact with Konate. That’s not a penalty, it’s rubbish.

14 mins: Rodri lines one up from way downtown. It deflects wide but off a sky blue shirt.

13 mins: Gravenberch pulls back O’Reilly as the City midfielder looks to break over halfway. Lucky not to see a yellow card there.

12 mins: City’s front three link. Semenyo knocks it down to Haaland, who plays through Marmoush. His finish is poor and he’d strayed offside anyway. Right idea, but badly executed.

10 mins: Silva floats one towards Khusanov, who glances a header off target. That was maybe a slightly better chance than the Uzbekistan international made it look.

9 mins: City belatedly settle into some methodical midfield passing. Then Marmoush wriggles away from Konate and wins a free-kick about 35 yards out.

5 mins: Oh and now it’s dicey in front of the City goal! Liverpool are pressing high and asking questions of Donnarumma with the ball at his feet.Ekitike almost intercepts on the edge of City’s six-yard box. The visitors escape and Semenyo smashes a shot halfway up the Kop.

2 mins: Chance for Haaland! Guehi goes long and Marmoush has a look at Konate, who closes the door. But City win it back, Silva slots Haaland into the box, he tries to slide a finish under Alisson and the goalkeeper reads it.

Kickoff: 1st Half

The visitors get us underway. A couple of early touches for Donnarumma. He goes lon gthe first time, then Ekitike and Gakpo rush in the press City effectively, deep in their own half.

4 mins before kickoff: Here come the teams. Anfield sounding full-throated. Can City break with their usual habits here and quieten the Kop?

15 mins before kickoff: So here’s the state of play at the top of the Premier League. City are nine points behind Arsenal at the top. After today, both teams will have 13 more games to play. Liverpool lie sixth. The top five will probably secure Champions League places this season and a win here would move the Reds to within four points of Chelsea in fifth. Lose and a nasty little gap will have opened up.

40 mins before kickoff: These look like two fairly evenly matched, hard-running teams. There certainly seems to be miore craft in the Liverpool XI, with Florian Wirtz having the opportunity to roam as a No 10 off the hugely gifted Hugo Ekitike. Mohamed Salah has not been great at all since the African Cup of Nations. The ‘Egyptian King’ as 13 career goals against City and has only managed more versus Tottenham and Manchester United (both 16). His compatriot and arguably pretender to his throne, Omar Marmoush, has netted three times in as many starts post AFCON.

1 hr 5 mins before kickoff: Liverpool have also packed their starting XI with attacking talent. It’s the same XI that beat Newcastle 4-1. Dominik Szoboszlai continues to fill in at right-back, leaving Ryan Granvenberch and Alexis Mac Allister as a midfield two. Mohamed Salah, Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo all start in support of centre-forward Hugo Ekitike.

1 hr 15 mins before kickoff: The teams are in. Let’s start with the visitors, who do indeed have Guehi in defence but he’s partnered once more by Abdukodir Khusanov, with Ruben Dias still only fit enough for a place on a strong bench that features Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden. Captain Bernardo Silva has recovered from a hamstring complaint to start in midfield, while Erling Haaland joins Omar Marmoush and Antoine Semenyo in a three-pronged attack that certainly has plenty of goals in it. Does that trio and the midfield three of Silva, Rodri and Nico O’Reilly have enough creativity, though?

1 hr 20 mins before kickoff: Confirmed team news will be with us shortly. Marc Guehi is expected to start just his third match for City after making his move from Crystal Palace last month. Back in August, he looked certain to be lining up in the other XI for this fixture, only for a deadline day switch from south London to Liverpool to collapse at the 11th hour. Anfield is typically fired up for this game and it will be interesting to see what sort of a reception Guehi gets.

Hugo Viana and Marc Guehi

Man City

1 hr 40 mins before kickoff: To drill into City’s Anfield record a little more, they have won once away from home against Liverpool since 2003. That was a 4-1 triumph during the behind-closed-doors season of 2020/21. The victory when Kevin Keegan was in charge almost 23 years ago, when former Liverpool forward Nicolas Anelka bagged a brace in a 2-1 victory, is the last time City left a crowd at Anfield tasting defeat. Before that, there was a 3-1 victory on Merseyside on Boxing Day 1981, which in itself was the Blues’ first away win over Liverpool in the league since 1953. Yikes.

John Stones

Getty Images

2 hours before kickoff: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of Liverpool vs. Manchester City. Pep Guardiola’s side have taken one point from their past two away games at Manchester United and Tottenham. Anything less than three at a ground where they seldom win will hand Arsenal another huge boost in the Premier League title race.

Liverpool vs. Man City kick off time

The match kicks off in Liverpool, UK at 4:30 p.m. local time.

Here’s how that time translates across some of the major territories:

  Date Kickoff time
USA/Canada Sun, Feb. 8 11:30 a.m. ET
USA/Canada Sun, Feb. 8 8:30 a.m. PT
UK Sun, Feb. 8 3 p.m. GMT
Australia Mon, Feb. 9 3:30 a.m. AEDT
India Sun, Feb. 8 10:00 p.m. IST

Liverpool vs. Man City lineups, team news

With Jeremie Frimpong back on the shelf due to another hamstring injury, while Joe Gomez is also absent, Dominik Szoboszlai will need to deputise at right-back yet again.

Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni are long-term absentees and will not take part in this season’s proceedings, while Alexander Isak needs another two months to recover from his broken leg.

Liverpool starting XI (4-3-3, right to left): Alisson (GK) — Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez — Gravenberch, Mac Allister — Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo — Ekitike

Liverpool subs: Mamardashvili (GK), Woodman (GK), Endo, Chiesa, Jones, Robertson, Nyoni, Ramsay, Ngumoha.

City captain Bernardo Silva has recovered from a hamstring complaint to start in midfield with Rodri and Nico O’Reilly.

Marc Guehi, who was on the verge of joining Liverpool at the start of this season before his deadline day move from Crystal Palace collapsed, partners Abdukodir Khusanov at centre-back. Ruben Dias is on the bench once more as he builds back to fitness from a hamstring injury.

Erling Haaland returns to the first XI after starting on the bench for the Carabao Cup semifinal meeting against Newcastle, where Omar Marmoush‘s brace ensured he remains in the team with Antoine Semenyo on the other flank.

Man City starting XI (4-3-3, right to left): Donnarumma (GK) — Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, Ait-Nouri — Silva, Rodri, O’Reilly — Semenyo, Haaland, Marmoush 

Man City subs: Trafford (GK), Dias, Reijnders, Ake, Cherki, Nico, Foden, Alleyne, Lewis

Liverpool vs. Man City live stream, TV channel

Here is how to watch the match in some of the world’s major regions:

Region TV Streaming
USA USA Network —
Canada — Fubo Canada
UK Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League Sky Sports website, Sky GO
Australia — Stan Sport
India Star Sports Select 1 JioHotstar

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