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Beth Lindop
In Liverpool’s activation room at the AXA Training Centre, the walls are lined with photographs from each of their Premier League matches this season.
On Monday morning, Mohamed Salah’s face will be displayed alongside images of Federico Chiesa, Rio Ngumoha and Dominik Szoboszlai — the match winners in victories over AFC Bournemouth, Newcastle United and Arsenal respectively — after his 95th-minute penalty secured all three points for Arne Slot’s side in a 1-0 victory at Burnley.
It was not a vintage Liverpool display by any means, but one that again underlined their unyielding spirit and, in doing so, maintained their flawless start to the new campaign. Champions, as the old adage goes, always find a way.
Many of the headlines in the buildup to Sunday’s clash centred around a player who didn’t even make the matchday squad at Turf Moor. Alexander Isak, who joined Liverpool from Newcastle in a British record £125 million deal on deadline day, didn’t travel with Slot’s squad, with his manager admitting after the game the player is “far from ready” to play three games a week following a disrupted preseason.
Still, the Liverpool boss fielded a strong XI — the same side that beat title rivals Arsenal 1-0 last time out — and his team was typically dominant in the first half without ever really troubling Martin Dúbravka in the Burnley goal. The visitors went into the break having enjoyed 78% possession, with 10 shots compared to Burnley’s two, however Andrew Robertson’s tame effort on goal was their only presentable chance.
That Robertson was on the pitch in the first place is testament to Slot’s ruthless management, with the Scotland captain having come on to replace Milos Kerkez in the 38th minute after the Hungary international was booked for simulation. It is not the first time the Liverpool boss has made a bold substitution — he withdrew Jarell Quansah at half-time in his first game in charge against Ipswich Town last season — and the Dutchman once again showed he is not afraid to make a gutsy decision to give his team the best possible chance of victory.
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The introduction of Conor Bradley at the start of the second half also proved a masterstroke, freeing up Szoboszlai to venture forward into his preferred midfield berth and immediately giving Liverpool fresh creative impetus. Burnley, though, continued to defend resolutely, with Dubravka saving from both Szoboszlai and Jeremie Frimpong to put his team on the brink of a priceless point.
However, things started to unravel for the hosts late on when Lesley Ugochukwu received a second yellow card for a foul on Florian Wirtz, having earlier been booked for a robust challenge on Alexis Mac Allister. Substitute Hannibal Mejbri then conceded a penalty when he handled Frimpong’s cross deep into stoppage time, opening the door for Salah to rifle home emphatically in front of the travelling supporters.
The Egypt international’s spot kick means Liverpool have now scored a winning goal after the 80th minute in all four fixtures so far this season (88th vs. Bournemouth, 90th+10 vs. Newcastle and 83rd vs. Arsenal). It also marks the third time the club have won all of their first four Premier League fixtures, also doing so in 2018-19 (when they finished second) and 2019-20 (when they were crowned champions).
When asked after the game whether he is impressed or concerned by Liverpool’s habit of winning late, Slot said: “A bit of both. I know how hard it is to create chances against the team that has 11 players in their 18-yard box. It is, by the way, very good that they do this because they almost got a point, so I’m not saying anything negative about it, I’m just trying to explain how difficult it is against a Premier League team because they’re very good players as well.
“That’s what we saw today. So, you come close but every time there’s a foot in between or whatever, no really open chances. A draw was probably what we expected throughout the game, but we tried also with the substitutions we made to bring all the players we have that can attack on the pitch. I don’t know if that has anything to do with us scoring the goal, but we did create the penalty and just before that with a big chance from Jeremie [Frimpong]. [It was a] relief. Lucky.”
There is a school of thought, though, that successful teams make their own luck. Against Burnley, Liverpool battled to the very last whistle and showed that, even with a team full of superstars, there can be little substitute for persistence and endeavor.
Liverpool are the only team in the league with a 100% record, having beaten two of the teams that reside alongside them in the top four. For a team that is yet to hit top gear, that is a pretty impressive record.
That said, Liverpool have shown that they are far from infallible. In wins over Bournemouth and Newcastle, their defensive frailties were laid bare, while they looked to be lacking a creative spark at times against both Arsenal and Burnley.
With the games now starting to come thick and fast, Slot will know improvements are needed if his team is to continue its winning streak.
Already, though, the photographs lining the walls of Liverpool’s training center are shaping up to create a quite extraordinary montage. If the Reds continue to win games in the same vein, the story of their season might just end in triumph.
