Liverpool just never know when to give in.
No team in the Premier League so far this season has picked up more points thanks to goals scored in the final five minutes than Jurgen Klopp’s table-topping Reds (5).
That is three points more than the defending champions, second-placed Manchester City (2), as well as Sheffield United (2) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (2).
Liverpool’s latest late, late show was arguably their best yet as headers from Andy Robertson and Sadio Mane secured a 2-1 triumph at Aston Villa that maintained their six-point lead at the summit going into Sunday’s massive showdown at Anfield against City.
And the Villa Park heroics came just four days after a much-changed Reds side came from behind to draw an incredible Carabao Cup last-16 tie at home to Arsenal 5-5 that they eventually won on penalties.
But Liverpool’s last-gasp exploits should come as no surprise.
As Andrew Beasley wrote in the latest instalment of his excellent column for the ECHO, no team has scored more goals in the final 15 minutes than the Reds (30) since the start of last season, 2018-19.
To take a line from the column, this is what Liverpool do.
But as Ian Doyle, Paul Gorst, Caoimhe O’Neill and Connor Dunn explain in the first Blood Red podcast of the week , this is what Liverpool have been doing under Klopp ever since he made his displeasure known at seeing supporters leaving Anfield early during a 2-1 home loss to Crystal Palace almost exactly four years ago.
Now Reds fans daren’t leave the ground before the full-time whistle.
And it would appear the current crop’s never-say-die-spirit, which is ingrained in the club’s DNA, appears to be getting to City manager Pep Guardiola.
His team staged a recovery of their own on Saturday to beat Southampton 2-1 at the Etihad.
But Liverpool were very much on his mind after the match when he accused the match-winner against Villa, Sadio Mane, of diving.
Klopp dismissed that claim at his top-table press conference to preview Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Genk before talking more about the subject in a break-out with reporters including our Liverpool FC correspondent Paul Gorst.
Paul, Ian Doyle, Caoimhe O’Neill and Connor Dunn also examine why Guardiola cannot help himself by talking about the Reds and why he is following in the footsteps of a certain Sir Alex Ferguson.
You can listen to the podcast below:
You can also watch the podcast on our Blood Red: LFC channel by clicking HERE .
