Salah at the last: Liverpool’s late‑show habit survives the Turf Moor siege

Liverpool found another late answer as Mohamed Salah buried a stoppage-time penalty to beat Burnley 1-0 and preserve a perfect start to the Premier League season. The spot-kick followed Hannibal’s handball from Jeremie Frimpong’s cross and arrived after a match spent camped in Burnley territory without the final touch to match the pressure.

Arne Slot’s side dominated the ball—around 80% possession and 26 attempts—but lacked conviction against a deep, organised block. Burnley were reduced to 10 men late on when Lesley Ugochukwu received a second yellow card, and while Martin Dubravka excelled, the champions’ relentlessness ultimately forced the decisive mistake.

Control without incision as champions probe the wall

Slot’s team hemmed the hosts in and forced corner after corner, but the opening half underscored a lack of fluency. Salah, Hugo Ekitiké and Cody Gakpo did not quite connect, while clear openings were scarce against a back five that rarely ventured out of its shape.

Frustration peaked when Milos Kerkez was booked for diving in search of a penalty and then withdrawn for Andy Robertson in the 38th minute to mitigate risk. The manager again had to proceed without record £125m signing Alexander Isak as the striker continues to build fitness.

Slot’s switches lift the tempo

Conor Bradley’s introduction at the break injected pace on the right and helped tilt the momentum further. Florian Wirtz started to stitch play on the edge of the area, Ryan Gravenberch fizzed one over, and Robertson burst into the box only to be denied by Dubravka.

Dominik Szoboszlai then drew a fine tip-over from the Burnley keeper with a rising drive, and when Federico Chiesa came on he immediately glanced a Robertson cross wide. The pattern was familiar: Liverpool advancing in waves, Burnley repelling with last-ditch interventions, the finish still missing.

Frimpong’s delivery, Salah’s nerve

The breakthrough came in the 95th minute. Frimpong clipped a cross into the area, Hannibal turned and his elbow strayed into the ball. Referee Michael Oliver pointed to the spot—an echo of Burnley’s late-penalty pain in their previous league outing at Old Trafford.

Salah, who had not taken a shot until then, lashed the penalty beyond Dubravka to spark wild celebrations among the travelling supporters. The handball was the kind of pressured error that Liverpool’s sustained attacking can induce, even on a day when the final pass had too often eluded them.

A winning habit that travels

This finale continued a clear trend. Liverpool beat Bournemouth with goals in the 88th minute and the fourth of added time, edged Newcastle courtesy of teenager Rio Ngumoha’s 100th-minute strike and defeated Arsenal via a Szoboszlai free-kick seven minutes from time. They have not always been at their best, but the steel and stamina of champions keep surfacing.

A fourth straight league win and a scoring streak now at 38 matches set the tone for a European week at Anfield. Atlético Madrid arrive next, with Slot indicating Alexander Isak will be involved, and the Merseyside derby follows soon after. Nights like this deepen belief in both the squad’s depth and its mentality.