Liverpool's late winners: Are 'Slot Time' goals proof of champions' 'unbelievable mentality' or a cause for concern?
Published 18/09/2025 at 12:33 GMT+1
After Liverpool scored yet another late winner, this time in their dramatic 3-2 UEFA Champions League win over Atletico Madrid, many have wondered what it actually means. Are these late goals - coming in 'Slot Time', as it has been coined by fans - simply a demonstration that Liverpool have an elite mentality of champions? Or is it actually a cause for concern?
Highlights: Van Dijk heads late winner as Simeone sees red
Video credit: TNT Sports
"We found a way again."
Quite possibly the understatement of the season thus far from Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk after his header gave The Reds yet another dramatic late victory.
This time it came against Atletico Madrid at Anfield, having watched the Spanish outfit fight back from 2-0 down to level at 2-2.
For those of you who have not been keeping score, here is Liverpool’s late magic this season in all its glory:
- Since losing the Community Shield to Crystal Palace on penalties, Liverpool have played four Premier League games and one Champions League game. They have won all five.
- Four of those five games have been decided by one goal.
- In three of the five games, in the 80th minute the game has been level.
- Liverpool have scored six of their 12 goals (50%) this season past the 80th-minute mark.
- Of those six goals, four (66%) have come in stoppage time.
- They are the first team in Premier League history to win four consecutive games via goals coming beyond the 80th minute.
As per our friends at Opta, Liverpool have actually had five straight Premier League games, including the final game of last season, with a goal scored in the final 10 minutes of regular time or later.
Only two teams in Premier League history have had longer streaks: Liverpool themselves between April 4 to May 9, 2009 (six games), and then Arsenal between February 20 and April 14, 2010 (eight games):
| First game of run | Last game of run | Team | Consecutive games with goal in last 10 minutes |
| Feb. 20, 2010 | Apr. 14, 2010 | Arsenal | 8 |
| Apr. 4, 2009 | May 9, 2009 | Liverpool | 6 |
| May 2, 2005 | Aug. 14, 2005 | Arsenal | 5 |
| Jan. 30, 2007 | Mar. 3, 2007 | Reading | 5 |
| Dec. 26, 2016 | Jan. 21, 2017 | Everton | 5 |
| May 12, 2017 | Aug. 20, 2017 | Chelsea | 5 |
| Aug. 21, 2017 | Sep. 23, 2017 | Manchester City | 5 |
| Feb. 17, 2024 | Mar. 30, 2024 | Newcastle United | 5 |
| Dec. 4, 2024 | Dec. 29, 2024 | Liverpool | 5 |
| May 25, 2025 | Ongoing | Liverpool | 5 |
At what stage does coincidence become a true statistical trend? Five games might not quite be enough yet, but it is certainly a curiosity. Or if you are part of the team or emotionally invested, a major addition to your stress levels.
"We need to get back to winning a bit simpler and easier," full-back Andy Robertson told TNT Sports after the game.
"The assistant manager turned to me when Virgil put it in and said he's getting too old for it, so I can't imagine what the fans are like.
"It's a great thing to have, being able to keep going until the end. When you're 2-0 up and playing so well in the first half, it should've been a more comfortable night."
Liverpool showed 'unbelievable mentality'
For Van Dijk and manager Arne Slot, it is a simple explanation: these late goals are a testament to the team’s mentality.
"It's a team that never gives up," Van Dijk told TNT Sports on the pitch after the game.
"Listen, I think we tried, we kept pushing for the 3-1 and obviously to concede an equaliser, a deflection, a massive deflection, was obviously not great.
"But we found a way again. I think we were dangerous with set pieces. They were pretty aggressive, I must say, and I'm glad I got the winner.
"After the break we tried to go for the 3-1, but obviously they get a bit of confidence from that.
"Eventually, you have to keep going, and we showed the resilience we've been showing for so many years. Another great European night here again.
"I think we have showed many times that we are capable of doing it. Today I was the lucky one with the winner, and we move on."
Slot agreed: "If you're going to beat a team like Atletico, which is known and has an unbelievable mentality, you have to beat them with their weapon as well, which is mentality,
"And I think we showed that today. We showed that we can beat them also with mentality."
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Van Dijk outlines how Liverpool 'found a way' to beat 'aggressive' Atleti
Video credit: TNT Sports
A cause for concern ahead of the derby?
However, should there be concerns about the way Liverpool are defending at the moment, despite this clear mental strength?
They have conceded four goals in the league thus far - only Bournemouth in the Premier League’s top-10 have conceded more.
When it was put to Van Dijk by TNT Sports’ Jules Breach after the game, the Dutchman gave a simple "no" in response.
And perhaps he is right. Digging into every Premier League champion and how many goals they have conceded in the first four Premier League games of their triumphant campaign, the average is 3.3. So Liverpool are a little above average, but not dramatically so.
In the last five years, twice a champion has conceded more than four goals at this stage, and three times fewer.
Going back a decade, it is four teams to have conceded more, and six to have conceded fewer. There is not a statistical trend at this stage of the season that suggests Liverpool fans have anything to worry about:
| Season | Eventual champion | Goals conceded after four games |
| 2015/16 | Leicester City | 5 |
| 2016/17 | Chelsea | 4 |
| 2017/18 | Manchester City | 2 |
| 2018/19 | Manchester City | 3 |
| 2019/20 | Liverpool | 3 |
| 2020/21 | Manchester City | 7 |
| 2021/22 | Manchester City | 1 |
| 2022/23 | Manchester City | 5 |
| 2023/24 | Manchester City | 2 |
| 2024/25 | Liverpool | 1 |
Across all competitions this season, they are now up to eight goals shipped in six games. Perhaps they will be fine, or perhaps this is a worrying sign of things to come.
When he was speaking after the game, Slot’s comments seemed to suggest that being more clinical and putting games to bed might be the team’s real issue, rather than their defending.
"We should have made it easier for ourselves," he said. "At 2-0 in the first half, we had more than a few chances. At 2-1, we hit the post.
"We were so close a few times, but when the margin is only one goal, something can always happen and it happened.
"But then again we showed the mentality, we were pushing, pushing, pushing and in the end we scored a set-piece goal.
"If we feel urgency, then we are unbelievable, and now we need to make sure we feel the urgency for 90 minutes, don't even look at the score, just feel this urgency every second."
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Watch: Van Dijk delivers as Simeone 'loses the plot' after late winner
Video credit: TNT Sports
They now face Everton in the Merseyside derby at Anfield on Saturday, which you can watch live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Grealish and Everton could provide a fresh test
While The Toffees haven’t been rampant in front of goal, they do have dangers. None more so than Jack Grealish, who is a player reborn after moving to Everton in a loan switch from Manchester City.
Grealish has four assists so far this season in four games. Not only is that the highest number in the Premier League, but across Europe’s top five leagues no player has more.
TNT Sports spoke to Everton midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall ahead of the derby and you can read the full interview on Friday.
In that chat, he heaped praise on Grealish, calling the forward "very gifted". It is clear that the England international is at something nearing his best.
Whether Grealish and Everton catch them out or it comes later down the line, Liverpool have to find a way to get their defensive woes figured out. At some stage the late goals will surely dry up, right?
Stream the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Serie A and Men's and Women's FA Cup and more on TNT Sports and discovery+.
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Thoughts?