There must be a feeling of dread in journalists these days when they’re told they’re covering Liverpool games.
Anyone who’s written a live match report before will likely know the horror of a late result-altering goal leading to a complete re-write, and Liverpool games this season have featured plenty. There was another on Sunday as Alexis Mac Allister’s 97th-minute strike sealed a 1-0 victory for Arne Slot’s men. In this week’s SVQ, we look at just how often the Reds are involved in late drama.
Speaking of themes, the north London derby produced another on Sunday, namely Eberechi Eze’s apparent one-man crusade to make Tottenham fans miserable. After turning down a move to Spurs last summer to join Arsenal, he has proceeded to score almost all of his goals for the Gunners against their old rivals. We look at just how mean Eze is being to the club he almost joined.
Our Ask Opta question queries us on stoppage time, while our quiz tests your knowledge on all things Premier League.
⏱️ STAT - Late, Late Liverpool
Late winners are so dramatic because they’re usually unexpected.
However, there’s an argument that, when it comes to Liverpool, you should probably be more shocked when one doesn’t arrive.
In their 27 Premier League games this season, Liverpool have seen seven winning goals in the 90th minute or later scored either for (three) or against them (four) – the most ever by any side in a single campaign in the competition, with 11 games remaining.
The most recent of those came on Sunday when a fairly dour game with Nottingham Forest at the City Ground looked set to end 0-0, before Alexis Mac Allister struck for the visitors.
The Argentine thought he’d already scored in stoppage time when a Forest clearance ricocheted into the net off him, but replays showed the ball struck his arm, so was ruled out.
However, he had another chance when the ball fell kindly for him following Virgil van Dijk’s header across goal, and it was a simple tap-in to win three vital points for Liverpool in their quest for Champions League qualification.