Liverpool [1] scored a late winner for the fifth time in five games this season as their never-say-die attitude kept their 100 per cent record alive with a European win over Atletico Madrid[2].
Virgil Van Dijk[3] scored a 93rd-minute winner after Atletico had fought back from 2-0 down in a game that saw boss Diego Simeone[4] sent off.
Daily Mail Sport’s Lewis Steele was in situ and here are his big talking points…
Virgil van Dijk was the hero on Wednesday night as Liverpool kept up their incredible record of scoring late winners this season
The Reds have secured victory in all five of their games this term but each has been achieved with a goal on or after the 88th minute
Alexander the great (but more to come)
The sun was still rising on Wednesday morning when messages started filtering in with just two words: ‘Isak starts’.
Those two words that went round and round the rumour mill all day were enough to set all the senses tingling for Liverpool fans: the new man, all £125million of him, was the star attraction on show at Anfield.
So how did Isak do? First 30 minutes, meh. Next 15 minutes, wow. The 15 minutes after the half-time interval, time for a rest. After not playing for four months aside from 18 minutes off the bench for Sweden last week, this was a fine debut.
He was quiet to start with, finding his feet at his new home, but soon started to show Liverpool fans and the rest of Europe – if they needed a reminder – just how good he can be as he fashioned two shooting chances from nowhere.
The Swede, who turns 26 on Sunday, had some flashy touches as he combined well with Florian Wirtz (more on him in a second) with some beautiful flicks. He worked hard off the ball and got into good areas only to not be picked out by team-mates.
I watched his every move in the warm-up and he had a 100 per cent hit rate in the shooting drills – but could not replicate that in the real game as his efforts went just wide of the mark. But ahead of the Merseyside Derby on Saturday, Isak is looking sharper than expected.
Alexander Isak showed some encouyraging flashes on his debut for the Reds on Wednesday night
Wirtz’ first-class display
This was Wirtz’s best performance in a Liverpool shirt.
Was it perfect? No, there is still more to come – a lot more to come judging by what those in Germany make of him as a player and what his statistics have shown so far in his career.
But he got on the ball more and made things happen, which is what he does best. The former Bayer Leverkusen star constantly showed for the ball and, while not everything came off, he finally showed what many Reds fans hope he can be: the beating heart of this team.
Florian Wirtz produced his best performance for Liverpool since his big-money move from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer
Shoddiness catches up with Liverpool… nearly
Can you tell the last word was added to this sub-heading at the last second?
But seriously, Liverpool, any chance of a normal win any time soon? In five games this season, they have scored winning goals in minutes 88, 90+10, 83, 90+5 and 90+2.
Is that sustainable? That is the question on everyone’s lips – but the main thing to say is that Slot thinks his team is ahead of schedule and can only get better from here onwards.
Is it a fluke? Another salient point and not one without merit, but it is not entirely fair. Liverpool have been the best team in each of the five games that they have needed last-gasp winners to take three points from.
But of course it cannot continue like this and surely it will not as Liverpool get fitter and stronger and become more capable of controlling games they take the lead in.
Whether they have done a deal with the devil or not, every Liverpool game seems to guarantee drama and is the hottest ticket in town – even though every Reds fan at Anfield will have gone through every single emotion in every game so far this season!
Marcos Llorente looked to have snatched a draw late of for the Spanish side who were two down after only six minutes at Anfield
Robertson takes his chance (but his goal was jammy!)
Andy Robertson wheeled away to celebrate like he was prime Alan Shearer after a lucky finish bounced off his shin into the goal. And like all good strikers, he claimed the goal as his own even if he knew nothing about it. Sorry, Andy, they all count but it was a wee bit jammy!
Anyway, spare a thought for Milos Kerkez who has started all four Premier League games – plus the Community Shield – only to be dropped for this one on the back of his premature substitution in the 38th minute at Burnley on Sunday.
Three minutes into his first start of the campaign, Robertson scored while Kerkez could only watch on from the bench.
The Scotland captain put in a pleasing defensive performance thereafter, too, and staked his claim to be the main man at left back despite Kerkez signing for £45m this summer.
Big decisions for Slot, then, on Saturday as Everton are coming back across town for the Merseyside Derby. Does he go with the tried-and-tested, experienced head of Robertson, or revert back to his energetic new Hungarian Kerkez?
Andy Robertson wheeled away to celebrate like he was prime Alan Shearer after a lucky finish bounced off his shin into the goal
Arne Slot has some big decisions to make ahead of the Merseyside Derby on Saturday afternoon
Picking my derby day XI
Let’s end with a bit of fun after that enthralling game and, as my colleague Ian Ladyman asked on Sunday: how does four become three? He was referring to the forwards but I am asking it as regards to the midfielders, too.
How does one of Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister or Wirtz miss out? Who gets the nod as No 9, Isak or Hugo Ekitike? Szoboszlai and Ekitike were the ones to miss out on most people’s ‘best XIs’ before the season – but both were outstanding in this game.
There are also big calls to make at full back. As discussed above on the left, but what about the battle between Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley? Anyway, here is my XI for Saturday’s big clash. Complaints on a postcard…
Alisson; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak (Ekitike to come off the bench after 60 minutes).
References
- ^ (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Atletico Madrid (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Virgil Van Dijk (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Diego Simeone (www.dailymail.co.uk)