The Briefing: Will late goals cost Slot's Liverpool? Has Dowman calmed Arsenal's anxiety?

Liverpool’s habit of conceding late goals is threatening to derail their season and, perhaps, Arne Slot’s tenure. For the ninth time this campaign, a goal shipped on or after the 84th minute turned a potential win into a damaging draw, as Richarlison’s stoppage-time header earned Tottenham a 1-1 result at Anfield. The equaliser, slammed home after Dominik Szoboszlai had lost his man, means Liverpool have now surrendered 13 points to late strikes; had they held on, Slot’s side would sit second with 62 points instead of scrapping to stay in the Champions-League places.

Szoboszlai, whose superb first-half free-kick had put Liverpool ahead, was blunt in his assessment. “I don’t know what happened… if we carry on like this, we should be happy with the Conference League.” The Hungarian’s candour underlined a dressing-room confusion that increasingly points toward the manager. Slot, lauded for last season’s title run, now faces uncomfortable questions: is the collapse physical, mental, tactical—or all three? Liverpool’s board may have to decide in the summer whether continuity or change offers the better route back to contention.

Across the divide, Tottenham will gratefully pocket the point. Igor Tudor’s first three league fixtures brought humiliation; the fourth delivered resilience. “Today was important to show what they showed,” the Croatian said, hoping the late fightback can spark a survival push. With a daunting second leg against Atlético Madrid looming and a relegation six-pointer versus Nottingham Forest next, Tottenham at least travel with proof they can compete.

While Liverpool agonise, Arsenal exult. Mikel Arteta’s side opened a nine-point lead at the summit after seeing off Everton 2-0, the clincher supplied by 16-year-old Max Dowman. The substitute’s stoppage-time counter-attack finish—slotted after Arsenal cleared an Everton corner—made him the Premier League’s youngest ever scorer at 16 years 73 days, but its significance stretched beyond the record book. The goal released the tension that had gripped the Emirates as the visitors pushed for an equaliser, allowing fans to breathe and, finally, to enjoy.

Dowman had already ignited the contest, his dazzling right-wing cross creating Viktor Gyokeres’ opener. “It’s not only the goal that he scored,” Arteta beamed. “I think he changed the game.” In a season when Arsenal supporters have at times seemed too anxious to savour superiority, a teenager born six years after their last title has offered both catharsis and conviction that this might, at last, be their year.

For Liverpool, the clock is ticking on solutions; for Tottenham, the clock offered redemption; for Arsenal, a 16-year-old has turned the clock back to a time when titles felt routine. The questions now: can Slot arrest the slide, can Tottenham build on a single point, and can anything stop Arsenal’s kids from accelerating toward glory?