As the clocked ticked past 98 minutes at the City Ground, it was looking like a day to forget for Liverpool.
Two points dropped at relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest and the initiative in the Premier League title handed back to Manchester City and Arsenal.
By 99 minutes, Darwin Nunez was roaring in celebration, kicking the advertising hoardings in front of a mass of flailing arms and legs in a disbelieving away end.
But then there are already so many dramatic late wins to savour. Just ask Newcastle. Or Wolves. Or Fulham. Or Crystal Palace. The win at Forest is the fifth time this season that Liverpool have gone in front in the 85th minute or later.
That is just in the league. You can add in Virgil van Dijk’s 118th-minute winner in the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea last week, while they scored twice in the last 10 minutes to beat Arsenal in the FA Cup.
“I’ve never lost a game. I just ran out of time,” basketball legend Michael Jordan once said.
So far this campaign, Liverpool seem to be taking a very similar approach – and more often than not their timing has been spot on.
But it is the second part of the Jordan quote that perhaps best sums up the approach of Jurgen Klopp’s side: “If you quit once it becomes a habit.”
No matter the situation, Liverpool seem to possess an unshakeable belief that they can – and will – win. A belief that only disappears once the final whistle has gone.
There have been plenty of reasons why that confidence might have been knocked during the course of the season, not least recently when they have had to do without up to 13 first-team players because of injury.
Instead, they have found their way to victories over Luton, Chelsea, Southampton and now Forest.
“If you’d told me 12 days ago we would win all four games I would have said no chance, it was impossible,” Klopp told BBC Sport.
“In the circumstances, winning the games is ridiculous.
“It’s pretty special what the boys did.”
Nunez’s winner was Liverpool’s latest on record in the Premier League at 98 minutes and 35 seconds and came at the end of what had been something of a tired display.
“Liverpool didn’t stop,” former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“They were not at their best today, but they made changes and looked a lot better – the credit you have to give Liverpool is they didn’t go away.”
It has been a trait throughout the year as they have won 22 points from losing positions, their joint highest in a Premier League season.
“It just goes to show that it’s never over with Liverpool,” ex-Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha told BBC Final Score.
There is still a long way to go and it may only take a couple of instances where the Merseysiders are not able to find a late winner for the title dream to be taken from them.
But the evidence of this season it will not be for lack of trying or an absence of belief. In a title race that is poised to go down to the wire, Liverpool have shown they will fight to the last.
Forest was just the latest example.
“You talk about champions, this is what champions do,” Robinson added.
“A team with a winning mentality, it was there in abundance today and this will be a huge win in Liverpool’s season.”
Source: BBC
