Richarlison strikes in injury time as Spurs take point from Liverpool
Liverpool have experienced this scenario too frequently this season: conceding a late goal that costs them valuable points. This time, Richarlison scored in injury time to secure a 1-1 draw against Tottenham, a result that prevented Liverpool from moving up to fourth place in the Premier League table.
The players were aware of the impact of this outcome, as evidenced by the boos from their fans at full-time.
"I feel flat," said Dominik Szoboszlai, who opened the scoring for Liverpool in the 18th minute, during a Sky Sports interview. "We have to wake up because if we carry on like this, we should be happy with the Conference League. I don't know why this is happening, I honestly don't know. In the last minute, again, I don't know how many times this season already."
Liverpool have now conceded eight Premier League goals in the 90th minute or later this season, the highest number in a single campaign for the club, surpassing the seven conceded in 2010-11. Each of these late goals has cost them points.
The question remains: why is this happening, and how much could it affect their position at the end of the season?
How many more points could Liverpool have...
In more than a quarter of their Premier League matches this season, Liverpool have conceded either an equaliser or a winning goal after the 90-minute mark.
Five of these late goals were winning goals, resulting in defeats against Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Bournemouth, Manchester City, and Wolves.
Three were draws, occurring in matches against Leeds, Fulham, and Tottenham. Notably, in the Fulham game, Liverpool had taken a 2-1 lead in the fourth minute of injury time before conceding three minutes later.
By contrast, Liverpool have secured three victories with last-minute or injury-time goals, two of which occurred in the first four games of the season.
Had Liverpool avoided these late concessions, they would currently have 60 points and be virtually assured of a Champions League spot.
Instead, they sit fifth in the table, likely sufficient for next season's Champions League qualification, but only one point ahead of Chelsea, who recently lost to Newcastle. Aston Villa, two points ahead in fourth place, were also defeated by third-placed Manchester United on Sunday.
"This is an absolute disaster in terms of Champions League qualification," said former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports. "With Aston Villa and Man Utd playing each other, someone was going to drop points. It was coming, I was saying it all second half. They have been sleepwalking. Liverpool were all over the place."
Reds manager Arne Slot acknowledged the issue, stating, "We have conceded far too many goals to pick up the amount of points that this club and I am used to."
Liverpool's defensive vulnerabilities extend beyond the final minutes. They have conceded 15 league goals from the 75th minute onwards, the highest in the league for the final 15 minutes of matches.
'Is it down to the manager or make-up of the squad?'
Arne Slot's Liverpool have fallen significantly short of the standards set by last season's Premier League champions.
The question of responsibility for these late points dropped and the overall poor performances following last season's title win remains open.
"Awful performance, considering the opposition. With the incentive of the other results, to put a performance in like that - but it's been like this all season," said Carragher. "The big question is, is that down to the manager or the make-up of the squad? I'm not too sure."
The cause of these issues is unclear; if Liverpool had identified it, corrective measures would likely have been implemented by now.
In an attempt to discern a pattern, Slot noted that the goals conceded late in games were not similar in nature.
"Again in the last minute, again after an opportunity to score ourselves and again we leave the pitch with a disappointing result," he told Sky Sports. "The way we concede is not always the same in the last minute. You cannot compare the deflected shot against Wolves with the shot today. All of the moments they had came from long balls and second balls and we were not able to clear the ball fast enough. As this season is going, it is not a complete surprise we are conceding in the last moments."
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Slot added,
"Every time it happens in the last minute it is an enormous frustration. How many times does it need to happen? And it happened again today. This time it didn't come as a complete surprise - the last 15-20 minutes of the game were the most equal part of the game."
Regarding the booing from the Anfield supporters, both Slot and Szoboszlai expressed understanding, with the midfielder urging fans to "support us in a difficult time," especially with a 1-0 deficit to overcome in Wednesday's Champions League last-16 second-leg match at home against Galatasaray.
"I'm 100% sure that if they show up on Wednesday that they will be supportive again from the start, but if the team doesn't perform to the standards that they are used to, I think it is completely normal that they are frustrated," added Slot.
"Arne Slot has to have a look at himself," said former Republic of Ireland striker Clinton Morrison on BBC Radio 5 Live. "If Liverpool play like this midweek, then they will be knocked out of the Champions League."
Ngumoha offers glimmer of hope?
One positive aspect for Liverpool was the performance of 17-year-old winger Rio Ngumoha, who made his first Premier League start.
Ngumoha became the first player to attempt seven or more dribbles in a Premier League game and complete them all since Matheus Cunha for Wolves against Aston Villa in May 2023.
Prior to this, Ngumoha had made 11 substitute appearances in the league and participated in each cup competition this season.
"I think I have said two months ago, he progressed so well as a 16-year-old and now 17 he is progressing well," said Slot. "A performance like today will only help him to get more minutes for this club. I have 12 or 13 players that are able to bring good performances. Rio is doing that well it makes sense to play him."
