Liverpool's 3-2 victory over Atletico Madrid at Anfield can be seen in two aspects. On the positive side, they once again found the decisive goal in the final minutes. But on the other hand, having to wait for that moment continuously raises a big question mark.
Just 3 days before, Liverpool beat Burnley 1-0 thanks to Mohamed Salah's late penalty. As a result, they became the first team in Premier League history to win four consecutive games by goals scored in the last 10 minutes or sooner.
The atmosphere at Anfield seemed to have predicted a similar scenario when Virgil van Dijk headed the ball to seal the victory in the 92nd minute, opening a favorable Champions League campaign for The Kop.
The explosion in the Anfield stands - the third time this season - is understandable. However, consecutive late victories have made many Liverpool fans reserved.
But is that really a concern for the "Red Brigade"? Are Liverpool's last-minute explosions just hiding the weaknesses in the squad that Arne Slot worked hard to build? Or is the "mental monster" under the Dutch strategist really gradually becoming more fearsome than last season?
Andy Robertson's concern
Andy Robertson has always been straightforward when evaluating Liverpool's performance. And after the win over Atletico, the Scottish defender admitted that the players should avoid letting fans and coaching staff experience more heartbreaking moments at the end of the match.
"Maybe we need to win more simply and easily. Assistant coach Spike Hulshoff turned to me as soon as Van Dijk scored and said he was too old to accept scenarios like this. So imagine how the fans will feel?" - Robertson shared.
" Obviously, it's great that we always fight until the last minute. But with a two-goal lead and a very good first half, it should have been a much more comfortable night," the defender added.
It is no surprise that Arne Slot - who has just celebrated his 47th birthday - also agrees with that view. He hopes his upcoming birthday will be less stressful.
Arne Slot's perspective
However, Arne Slot had reason to want to separate the nature of the victory over Atletico from the previous matches. Despite criticism, Liverpool's victory over the team led by Diego Simeone was completely unlucky.
According to statistics, Atletico's xG is only 0.61 compared to Liverpool's 2.72. The Spanish team only created one big chance - that was Alexander Sorloth's late-match situation.
Therefore, Arne Slot admitted that he was "a bit disappointed" when Liverpool scored the decisive goal in the last minutes, because this somewhat overshadowed his previous excellent performance.
"I know it will be the title you guys choose and of course scoring at the last minute is always great. But I want people to talk more about the attacks in the first half, when Wirtz and Isak collaborated to Jeremie Frimpong almost score. Or in the second half, the situation of the players combining led to a shot against the post.
We had a lot of great plays today, but perhaps no one mentioned it. People only focused on the last-minute goal. This is understandable because it was the highlight of the match, as well as in the last 5 matches" - said the Dutch captain.
In addition, Arne Slot also emphasized the difference: "It's true that we led 2-0 and were equalized, but this is completely different from the win over Bournemouth. This match has nothing to do with counter-attacks. There are many things to improve, but there are also countless positives."
To be fair, what happened at Anfield shows that Liverpool have played their most impressive football since the beginning of the season.
Of course, Liverpool need to regain the solidity they showed against Arsenal and maintain that more often. Expecting late goals is clearly not a sustainable formula. However, when stars like Isak, Wirtz and Salah shine together, that worry will almost disappear.
Sooner or later, the "mental monsters" of Merseyside will also prove that they possess a quality of playing on par with their competitive spirit. And that is truly the biggest threat to any opponent.
