Mentality monsters: Six times Liverpool have won points late on since 2018-19

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Planet Football
3rd November 2019

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp famously called his team “f*cking mentality monsters” during their title fight with Manchester City last season, and it’s not difficult to see why.

Coming back from three goals behind to beat Barcelona, Divock Origi’s injury-time equaliser to make it 5-5 against Arsenal in the League Cup, going on that 17-game winning streak often by hook or by crook. This is a team that gives everything.

The Reds have already claimed 10 points from losing positions so far this season, and have often left it very late to get late winners and equalisers. Here are six occasions – winning 12 points in total – that they’ve scored in the 85th minute or later, since the start of the 2018-19 season.

Daniel Sturridge vs Chelsea, September 2018

Liverpool claimed a point against Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea, who themselves enjoyed a brilliant start to the 2018-19 campaign, with Daniel Sturridge scoring against his former club in the dying minutes at Stamford Bridge.

What a strike it was, too.

remember daniel sturridge goal vs chelsea #CHELIV what a goal pic.twitter.com/X8ns0gcJmG

— hanif novrandhita (@hanifnovran) September 21, 2019

Divock Origi vs Everton, December 2018

Who could possibly forget this 96th-minute winner in the Merseyside derby at Anfield? One of the weirdest goals ever scored.

Divock Origi, then very much on the periphery, was introduced late on by Klopp to try salvage a winner. The German couldn’t possibly have envisaged how it actually came about, with Toffees keeper Jordan Pickford touching the ball onto the bar before it bounced back out and onto the head of the Belgian.

Anfield absolutely erupted after he nodded it in.

Throwback to Origi's goal against Everton pic.twitter.com/qlXfy4SGKx

— SH (@Sennesation) August 12, 2019

Toby Alderweireld Own Goal vs Spurs, March 2019

With the Reds going toe-to-toe with City in the final stretch of the 2018-19 campaign, they looked like they were to drop a vital two points at home to Spurs after Lucas Moura’s 70th-minute equaliser.

It wasn’t Liverpool’s best performance by any stretch, but they still claimed all three points when Hugo Lloris could only parry Mohamed Salah’s header, with the ball bouncing back in off Toby Alderweireld in the 90th minute.

“I saw the players celebrating but I had no clue how the ball went in,” said Klopp afterwards.

Divock Origi vs Newcastle, May 2019

It was the penultimate game of the season and it became clear Liverpool’s only hope of lifting the title would be keeping the relentless pace with Man City. They managed that, with nine consecutive wins, with Origi playing a big role once again, scoring an 86th-minute at St. James’ Park against Newcastle.

A couple of days later, when Man City couldn’t open the scoring against Leicester until the 70th minute, there was belief Origi’s goal might have ended their long wait for a first Premier League title. It wasn’t to be, in the end.

James Milner vs Leicester, October 2019

Liverpool continued their winning streak from their near-miss, going into 2019-20. The Reds maintained a 100% record seven games in, taking their winning streak to 16 matches, but it looked like that run was to come to an end with the score tied against Leicester City deep into injury time.

But they kept going, courtesy of a 95th-minute penalty after Marc Albrighton was judged to have fouled Sadio Mane. Experienced head James Milner stepped up to slot the spot-kick past Kasper Schmeichel. Ice in his veins.

Sadio Mane vs Aston Villa, November 2019

Liverpool don’t tend to drop points against opposition outside the Premier League’s traditional ‘big six’. The only time they’ve lost a game in the last two seasons was against Swansea in January 2018, and last season dropped just six points from 28 games to teams outside the top six.

Maintaining a 100% record in such games so far this season, it was a huge shock as they trailed to newly-promoted Aston Villa going into the final ten minutes.

Up steps Sadio Mane, setting up Andy Robertson’s equaliser with a brilliant cross in the 87th minute, before scoring the winner himself, bravely risking a boot in the face to flick-on a corner seconds before the full-time whistle.