Sky Sports pundit Clinton Morrison has hit back at the narrative suggesting Liverpool have been lucky this season after Virgil van Dijk scored yet another late winner for them, with the Reds now netting decisive late goals in four successive games.
The defending Premier League champions have burst out of the transfer blocks this season, recording four successive wins to top the fledgling table and with some supporters suggesting we could be about to witness a repeat of Arsenal’s Invincibles season. As with any side who achieves the feat of going a season unbeaten, a sprinkling of luck is needed along with a fair amount of skill.
However, despite Liverpool setting that early pace, Paul Merson insists the Reds have been “lucky”, suggesting they have looked like a mid-table side and only sit where they are due to their last-gasp winners.
Given football is a 90-minute (plus stoppages) game, that seems a somewhat strange narrative, despite the lateness of Liverpool goals in wins at Newcastle (90+10), Arsenal (83), Burnley (90+5) and now, in the Champions League against Atletico Madrid (90+2).
Watching for Sky Sports News, Morrison hit back at those claims and is adamant it can’t keep being lucky if Liverpool keep delivering those late winners on such a consistent basis.
In a perfect appraisal of Liverpool’s latest late show, that saw Van Dijk head home a late winner to defeat Diego Simeone’s side in their opening Champions League clash at Anfield, Morrison said: “Everyone keeps saying Liverpool leave it late, but it can’t be a coincidence the number of times they’ve done it already this season.
“They keep going, they’ve got that desire to keep going right until the end. They’ve got big players and big characters.
“Credit to Liverpool, they would’ve been disappointed had they not won. They were comfortable at 2-0 up.”
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Analysis: Was Liverpool’s win over Atletico Madrid deserved?
To say Liverpool haven’t been at their best so far this season is probably fair comment. After embarking on a historic summer spend, that has seen 19 senior players bought and sold at Anfield and seen an unprecedented £440m splashed out on new signings, it was always going to take Arne Slot’s side time to gel.
Yet despite the narrative they have been ‘lucky’, they have still managed to begin the season with five successive wins, with their only ‘blemish’ so far being the 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace in the Community Shield at Wembley.
However, if you look at the statistics in the games that have followed, Liverpool have certainly deserved their wins, if going by the match statistics alone.
Their latest match – the 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League at Anfield – started well. Liverpool burst out the blocks and were 2-0 up inside six minutes owing to goals from Andy Robertson and Mo Salah.
As per Sofascore, the Reds recorded double the number of shots as Atletico (20 against 10) and also dominated the xG (2.6 to 0.61).
While Atletico deserve credit for fighting back, there were strong claims that Marcos Llorente’s first goal shouldn’t have stood with Antoine Griezmann standing in an offside position and impeding Alisson Becker’s view.
Liverpool also edged the possession count, with 55% of the ball and also forced the more corners (7 to 6) in the game.
As a result, Morrison’s assessment is probably bang on and it can’t keep being a coincidence if the Reds keep managing late successes.
And the worry for the rest of the Premier League and potentially Europe, Liverpool might just yet prove a more formidable force when they do hit their stride and their summer signings truly bed in.
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