A closer look at Liverpool's 42 last-minute Premier League winners

In numbersA closer look at Liverpool's 42 last-minute Premier League winners

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By Chris Shaw

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Darwin Nunez's second goal against Newcastle United on Sunday was the 42nd time Liverpool have delivered a winner in the 90th minute or later in the Premier League.

Sent on from the bench at St. James’ Park with the Reds trailing and down to 10 men due to a Virgil van Dijk red card, Nunez fired a pair of clinical finishes past Nick Pope in the closing stages to clinch a sensational 2-1 victory.

The turnaround, which was completed with 93 on the clock, further added to a club tally of last-minute Premier League winners that no other side can match.

Here, we take a closer look at the details behind that remarkable record…

The first of the Reds’ last-minute interventions in the Premier League era came at the expense of the team they have done it against most of all: Everton.

It was in March 1993 and courtesy of Ronny Rosenthal, who found the bottom corner in front of the Kop to snatch a 1-0 result for Graeme Souness’ team.

Gary McAllister was next to break the Blues’ hearts, with his unforgettable free-kick at Goodison Park in April 2001, a moment emulated by Dirk Kuyt from the penalty spot six years later and Sadio Mane just before Christmas in 2016.

The fifth and most recent of Liverpool’s last-minute Premier League winners versus Everton was provided by Divock Origi with 96 on the clock at Anfield in 2018.

Following Nunez’s strike at St. James’ Park, Newcastle are the second-most frequent side to suffer from the Reds’ late habit. There were, of course, the deciders from Stan Collymore and Robbie Fowler in 1996 and 1997 respectively as Roy Evans’ team won successive Anfield contests 4-3.

And Fabio Carvalho thrashed home a clinching goal eight minutes into added time when the Magpies visited L4 a year ago.

Liverpool have also delivered three such instances past Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as two apiece against Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Fulham, Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

On an individual basis, it is probably unsurprising to learn that Steven Gerrard has netted more last-minute Premier League winners for the club than any other player.

The midfielder racked up four during his 17-year spell, with the first a determined solo effort against Charlton Athletic at Anfield in 2003.

He also did so away at Derby County (2007) and at home to Middlesbrough (2008) before his final such goal for the Reds was a perfect penalty on the road at Fulham in 2014.

The man with the next-most is Mane, who did it on three occasions. A home decider against Palace, and an iconic winner at Villa during the 2019-20 title-winning campaign, followed his aforementioned Merseyside derby moment.

Fowler, Kuyt, Origi and Fernando Torres share bronze, having scored two last-minute winners in the league each in Liverpool colours.

Of the 42 overall instances, 16 have occurred during Jürgen Klopp’s tenure, accounting for 38 per cent.

The first under the German ranks particularly highly in the drama stakes: a 5-4 goalfest at Norwich City in January 2016 that was finally settled by a swing of Adam Lallana’s left boot.

In behind Klopp on this list is Rafael Benitez, who oversaw nine last-minute league winners across his six years in the Reds dugout – including Neil Mellor’s 2004 screamer against Arsenal and Yossi Benayoun’s 2009 strike at Craven Cottage.

Evans and Gerard Houllier, meanwhile, were in charge for five each.

In addition to three own goals, 30 different Liverpool players have supplied a last-minute winner in the Premier League – and there’s only one goalkeeper among them.

We may never see the like of Alisson Becker’s 95th-minute header to defeat West Bromwich Albion 2-1 at the Hawthorns in May 2021 ever again.

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