Ian Doyle has covered Liverpool for more than 20 years, following them across Europe in multiple Champions League and Europa League finals and as far afield as Thailand, Singapore, the United States, Hong Kong and Qatar, and has reported on the Reds winning every major honour. He previously also covered Everton for 18 years and followed England, reporting on the European Championships and World Cup final. Once had to tell Jude Law he does not drive a Mini.
Mohamed Salah celebrates with his Liverpool team-mates after scoring the winner during the Premier League match at Burnley on September 14 2025
Mohamed Salah celebrates with his Liverpool team-mates after scoring the winner during the Premier League match at Burnley on September 14 2025
(Image: MB Media/Getty Images)
The mentality monsters, as Jurgen Klopp once famously dubbed his old team. Now Arne Slot's Liverpool are acquiring some of the traits that made his predecessor's charges such fearsome opponents until the very last kick.
The late, late show continued at Turf Moor on Sunday afternoon when Mohamed Salah's nerveless penalty kick five minutes into injury time earned a 1-0 victory at promoted Burnley.
In maintaining Liverpool's 100% start to their title defence, it was the fourth successive game in which they had scored a winner beyond the 80th minute - the first time in Premier League a team had achieved such a feat.
Exciting? Without doubt. But as a relieved Reds celebrated at the weekend, there is an acceptance they must start making life easier for themselves as a new-look team continues to gel.
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Such was Liverpool's level of control in exerting dominance over the Premier League last season, they were rarely required to dig deep in the closing stages to secure victory.
Indeed, they already have earned more late Premier League victories this term than the whole of the previous campaign. Their first such winner on the way to the title came in November through Salah's 83rd-minute penalty at Southampton, which was followed by Darwin Nunez's famous injury-time brace at Brentford and Virgil van Dijk's 89th-minute effort to beat West Ham United at home in April.
There were late levellers at Arsenal and at home to Fulham and, on the final weekend, Crystal Palace. But otherwise Liverpool largely avoided the need for hectic interventions in the closing stages.
Of course, late winners are nothing new to Liverpool, with Salah's strike ensuring the 47th time the Reds had won a Premier League by scoring in the 90th minute or later, the most in the competition's history.
It also moved Slot's side three points clear at the top of the embryonic table and was only the sixth time since Liverpool returned to the top flight in 1962 that they have won their opening four league games.
On only two of the previous five occasions did they go on to win the championship, one of which was the most recent previous such instance under Klopp in 2019/20.
Few, though, would contend Liverpool are anywhere near their best, a point with which vice-captain Andy Robertson readily agrees.
"It's been a good start but we need to get better," he said. "To be there or thereabouts at the end of the season you have to have wins like this but we obviously have to improve and we are getting better and working hard on the training pitch.
"You need to start winning matches more comfortably: Newcastle, Arsenal was won by a moment of pure brilliance, Bournemouth was late and Burnley was late also. We do need to improve but it is pleasing we have got four wins when we are not at our peak.
"You felt it was coming and it's a big three points after the international break."
Robertson added: “I thought Burnley were really good defensively and they made it really difficult for us to break break them down. It was up to us to stay patient and ultimately not make mistakes at the other end and we did that well and limited them to very few chances.
"At the end you just hope they get a bit tired and a bit lazy and that's what happened, and when you get a penalty you always back Mo to put it away."
While Salah was again below par, six of Liverpool's last nine last-minute winning goals in the Premier League have now involved the Egyptian, who contributed five previous assists for such strikes.
“He can be quiet for 92, 93 minutes and then pop up with the winning moment," said Robertson.
"He practices them all the time, goes through the same routine and fortunately the goalkeeper dived the wrong way and it's a big relief when it hits the back of the net."