As you may have noticed, Liverpool have made a habit of staging big finishes this season having secured dramatic victories in a succession of games with late -- and, in some cases, exceptionally late -- match-winning goals.
In fact, coach Arne Slot's side have now won five consecutive games right from the start of the 2025-26 campaign with late goals, with four of those goals coming beyond the 90-minute mark. It's led to the phrase "Slot time" appearing on social media every time the Reds snatch another victory just as the final whistle approaches.
All four of the Reds' four Premier League fixtures this season have been won with a goal scored after the 80th minute (a first for any Premier League club in history) and this week's victory over Atlético Madrid in the Champions League extended that run to a fifth game in all competitions.
- Isak might be new star, but Salah still main man after latest thriller
- UCL overreactions: Arsenal only PL team to have deep run
- Is Mbappé quickest Real Madrid player to 50 goals? Not even close
No other team across Europe's top five leagues has mustered a run of late winners to match Liverpool's current four-game domestic streak in at least the last 15 years, and Wednesday's 3-2 climatic triumph against Atleti also marked the first time since at least 2012-13 that any top European side have won five back-to-back games across all competitions with winning goals in the 80th minute of later before the start of October.
Slot's men are already closing in on the all-time Premier League record for most late winning goals in a season, which stands at seven and is jointly held by Manchester United (2023-24), Tottenham Hotspur (2014-15 and 2002-03), Arsenal (2011-12) and Liverpool themselves (2008-09).
The out-and-out European league record is slightly further away with Barcelona drumming up an impressive nine late winners in LaLiga during the 2023-24, just one more than Real Madrid managed to muster in the same season.
You could argue that earning results in such dramatic late style is simply not sustainable over the course of a season. Or, alternatively, maybe this is just what Liverpool do now. Perhaps it's fitting that the Dutch translation of "final phase" is "Slotfase."
Liverpool's late winners so far this season
Liverpool 4-2 Bournemouth (Premier League)
Federico Chiesa 88'/Mohamed Salah 90+4'
Technically Liverpool's opening game of the Premier League season was already won when Chiesa volleyed home his side's third of the afternoon in the 88th minute. However, the Reds weren't done and it was Salah who iced the cake in stoppage time with a smart angled finish.
Newcastle 2-3 Liverpool (Premier League)
Rio Ngumoha 90+10'
After finding themselves pegged back at 2-2 in the 88th minute, a nerve-jangling encounter at St James' Park was settled in Liverpool's favour when 16-year-old Ngumoha popped up and made history by becoming the club's youngest scorer in history with what proved to be the last kick of the game.
Liverpool 1-0 Arsenal (Premier League)
Dominik Szoboszlai 83'
A relatively tense early-season battle between Liverpool and Arsenal was lit up in the latter stages when Szoboszlai unleashed a truly thundering freekick into the top corner to send Anfield into raptures and win the game for Slot's side in spectacular fashion.
Burnley 0-1 Liverpool (Premier League)
Mohamed Salah 90+5'
It took until stoppage time for Liverpool to finally break down Burnley's defences at Turf Moor but sure enough it was the ever dependable Salah who slammed home an emphatic spot kick in the 95th minute after Hannibal Mejbri had been penalised for a late, late handball.
Liverpool 3-2 Atlético Madrid (Champions League)
Virgil van Dijk 90+2'
Record signing Alexander Isak may have been making his long-awaited debut against Atleti but it was old reliable centre-half Van Dijk who ultimately proved the difference at Anfield by heading home a l92nd-minute corner to nudge the Reds' back ahead in stoppage time.