Liverpool and Manchester City meet at Anfield on Sunday 11 October, eight months after City won there with a stoppage-time penalty. Anyone weighing up the Liverpool vs Man City odds should know how many meetings have turned in the final minutes. Five late goals stand out, and one of them cost Liverpool a Champions League place.
Nicolas Anelka, Liverpool 1-2 Man City, May 2003
Anelka spent the second half of 2001-02 on loan at Liverpool, and Gerard Houllier chose not to sign him permanently. He returned to Anfield on 3 May 2003 and scored both City goals. Milan Baros put Liverpool ahead on 58 minutes before Anelka equalised from the penalty spot on 74, after Djimi Traore brought him down.
His winner, a volley from Shaun Wright-Phillips’ pass, came in stoppage time. It was City’s first win at Anfield since Boxing Day 1981. Liverpool then needed to win at Chelsea on the final day to finish fourth. They lost 2-1 and finished fifth.
Dirk Kuyt, Man City 2-3 Liverpool, October 2008
City led 2-0 at half time on 5 October 2008 through Stephen Ireland and Javier Garrido. Fernando Torres scored twice after the break, the first of them Liverpool’s 1,000th Premier League goal, and Pablo Zabaleta was sent off for a lunge at Xabi Alonso.
Kuyt won it in the second minute of stoppage time. Rafael Benitez compared the comeback to Istanbul, where his side had recovered from 3-0 down against AC Milan to win the 2005 Champions League final.
Philippe Coutinho, League Cup final, February 2016
Fernandinho gave City the lead at Wembley on 28 February 2016, four minutes after half time. Coutinho equalised on 83 minutes to force extra time in front of 86,206 fans.
The late goal only delayed the result. Willy Caballero saved three Liverpool penalties in the shootout, including Coutinho’s, and City won it 3-1.
Ilkay Gundogan, Liverpool 4-3 Man City, January 2018
Liverpool led 4-1 on 14 January 2018 after Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah scored in a nine-minute spell midway through the second half. Conceding three in nine minutes is the kind of collapse you expect from sides priced short in the relegation odds, not from a team unbeaten in the league all season. Anfield had started celebrating.
Bernardo Silva pulled one back on 84 minutes, and Gundogan made it 4-3 in the first minute of stoppage time. Liverpool held on to inflict City’s first Premier League defeat of the season, one of only two they suffered on the way to 100 points.
Erling Haaland, Liverpool 1-2 Man City, February 2026
Dominik Szoboszlai curled a free-kick in off the post on 74 minutes on 8 February 2026. Bernardo Silva equalised 10 minutes later from Haaland’s knockdown.
In the third minute of stoppage time, Alisson rushed out and took Matheus Nunes’ legs. Haaland scored the penalty, his first Premier League goal at Anfield. Rayan Cherki then had a goal ruled out for a foul by Haaland on Szoboszlai, who was sent off for pulling back Haaland moments earlier.
The win cut Arsenal’s lead at the top to six points and completed City’s first league double over Liverpool since 1936-37. Arsenal still went on to win the 2025-26 title.
