I was watching and the roar just went quiet at Anfield. Then Roy Keane says what it all means. It was more than just City winning 2-1 with that last minute Haaland penalty. He called it a “hammer blow” for Arsenal. That stuck with me.
See, I heard Keane on Sky Sports after. He’s always so direct. City hadn’t won much at Liverpool under Guardiola, but they just did. They went a goal down and then came back. A late goal and then a penalty in stoppage time that got everybody talking. You could feel the shift.
“Big lift for City,” was what Keane said. He reminded us Pep asked for personality before the game. And they showed it, alright.
The game itself was something. Liverpool was ahead from this beautiful free kick. Then City just kept pushing and got the equalizer from close in. Then it all happens—Alisson and Nunes in the box, the referee gives the penalty. Haaland scores it. The away fans were going crazy.
It feels like more than three points to me, too. Keane said that. It’s a psychological thing. A big lift for one team and a real downer for the other. Arsenal is still top, but seeing City win like that? It changes the feeling.
Arsenal won easy earlier that day. They were six points clear still. But City has a game less played. If they win that, the lead is only three. The whole mood is different now.
People said this City team lost its edge. But not in that second half. They fell behind but they just pushed harder. The penalty was lucky maybe, but they made the chance happen. Keane said they’ve been criticised but showed desire and quality when it mattered.
For Arsenal, it gets harder now. The numbers are still okay for them. But the mind is a tricky thing. Watching your biggest rival get a win like that, at a place like Anfield, it has to get in your head. City knows this path. Arsenal is still learning it.
Winning at Anfield was a big deal for Pep’s City. To do it now, near the end of the season, sends a message. Haaland took that penalty so coldly. That’s what champions do.
These races are decided on moments. A lucky bounce, a referee’s call. City made their own moment through pure will. Arsenal has to swallow that and answer. Their games look tougher than City’s from here. Momentum is a real thing, and right now it’s all with City.
That “hammer blow” line from Keane, it’s gonna be in the air until Arsenal plays again. Is it over? No. The lead is there. But there’s no room for any slip ups now. Every single thing they do matters more. City landed a heavy hit. How Arsenal stays on their feet the next few weeks? That’s what their whole season comes down to now. The pressure isn’t just coming, it’s already here.
It’s the kind of win that gets into everybody’s bones, you know? City has this memory for how to do things when the days get shorter and the lights feel brighter. Arsenal, they’re so talented but they’re still writing their first story in a way. Stories like these have old pages City has already turned.
And you just watch how the talk changes now. A week ago it was all about Arsenal’s steady hands. Now it’s about their nerve. That’s what a single result at Anfield can do. It turns simple maths into a complicated feeling they have to carry onto the pitch with them next time.
