No one loves late drama like Liverpool. What's behind their taste for theatrics?

By the time referee Anthony Taylor’s whistle confirmed a 97th-minute Alexis Mac Allister strike at the City Ground, Liverpool had once again underlined their uncanny knack for turning the final moments of a match into high theatre. The 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest was the club’s seventh Premier League fixture this season to feature a winning goal after the 90th minute—an all-time competition record—and the fourth time the Reds have been stung by such late blows themselves.

Head coach Arne Slot, whose side have dropped eight points to stoppage-time concessions in 2025-26, offered a candid verdict. “Today we did not play a good game,” he admitted. “A draw would have been fairer.” Yet relief trumped regret as Liverpool climbed back into the fight for UEFA Champions League qualification, buoyed by the same never-say-die ethos that delivered 48 Premier League winners beyond 90 minutes—at least 12 more than any rival.

Captain Virgil van Dijk believes the comeback culture is ingrained. “When the goal is disallowed [Mac Allister’s 90th-minute effort was ruled out for handball] the momentum shifts,” he said. “But we created the chaos and managed to score the winner.” That resilience harks back to Jürgen Klopp’s “mentality monsters” era, but the current campaign has exposed a darker subplot: Liverpool keep needing miracles because they so often start slowly.

The numbers are stark. Only 13 first-half goals in 27 league outings represent the club’s second-worst return in the Premier League era, while a paltry three goals have arrived inside the opening 30 minutes. Mohamed Salah is goalless in the top flight since Nov. 1, Cody Gakpo has managed two in 17 games, and the team’s overall haul of 42 league goals is their lowest at this stage since 2015-16.

Injuries have not helped. Alexander Isak, Jeremie Frimpong and Giovanni Leoni have spent much of the season in rehabilitation, Florian Wirtz is still acclimatising, and a pre-match setback for the German teenager forced Slot to promote Curtis Jones and unleash 17-year-old winger Rio Ngumoha as the game’s decisive substitute. A shallow bench, coupled with a vulnerability to set pieces—13 conceded in the first 26 matches—has left Liverpool exposed when legs tire.

Slot, however, sees incremental progress. Since set-piece coach Aaron Briggs departed in December, Liverpool have conceded twice and scored eight times from dead-ball situations. “You don’t see this improvement in the league table,” Slot lamented, “but that is always the most important reflection.”

The Dutchman knows the antidote is not solely psychological. Isak’s anticipated return next month, Frimpong and Wirtz’s possible availability against West Ham, and a summer recruitment drive focused on wide pace and midfield steel may finally allow Liverpool to dominate a full 90 minutes rather than living on the edge.

Until then, expect more adrenaline. For neutrals, Liverpool remain the Premier League’s most irresistible cliff-hanger; for Slot, the next chapter cannot be written quickly enough.