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ANFIELD, LIVERPOOL // Liverpool has relied on four late goals in the Premier League so far this season and mustered another one through Virgil van Dijk after squandering a two-goal lead against Atletico Madrid.
Within six minutes, Liverpool had gone 2-0 up through Andy Robertson and then Mohamed Salah, only for Marcos Llorente to pull a goal back just before half-time, despite the Reds having largely dominated to that point. Llorente loves scoring at Anfield and did so again after the break, only for Van Dijk to break Atletico hearts.
Alexander Isak got just under an hour under his belt on his debut, while Florian Wirtz continued his adaptation to life with the Reds. Here are the four things Liverpool.com spotted as the game unfolded.
Alexander Isak impresses
Isak didn't just feature, but the $169 million (£125 million) man made the starting XI. Arne Slot, in fairness, had hinted that would be the case in his pre-match press conference.
The Liverpool boss had said it was "the plan all along" to start Isak in this game, but the expectation was that he would only play 45 minutes. Making his first start in 115 days, having played just a few minutes for Sweden in between, Isak did well.
There were the first signs of link-up with Salah and the others in the new-look Liverpool attack, and he made a notable point of pressing and working tirelessly off the ball. That was something Slot said he was looking for from his new number nine, and while he didn't find the back of the net, that is what he provided.
Lasting until the 57th minute, Isak showed the first signs of why he cost so much. This was the first game of many in a red jersey, and he left it having sent a clear message: he isn't just about goals, but out-of-possession and link-up play too.
Andy Robertson stakes a claim
Andy Robertson and Jeremie Frimpong, you could make the argument, are Liverpool's second choice full-back pairing, behind Milos Kerkez and Conor Bradley respectively (there is little to separate the right-backs, certainly).
On for Kerkez before the interval at Burnley over the weekend, Robertson kept his place here and deservedly so. The Scotland captain could have signed for Atletico Madrid over the summer, but opted to stay.
He will get plenty of minutes under Slot this year, though he didn't know much about his deflected opener. This was a strong and energetic performance; one which should see Robertson keep his place for the weekend visit of Everton.
Wirtz still getting in the Flo
Fellow mega-money addition Florian Wirtz was a similar level of performer: like Isak, he showed a few glimpses of what he can do, but lacked the final ball or touch a few times.
In time, as he continues to get up to speed and learns where his Liverpool teammates want the ball to be played, he will get better. He was also unlucky: had Jeremie Frimpong not kicked the air instead of the ball inside the penalty area, he would have collected an assist. It is why that metric alone is not enough to judge the new arrival.
Wirtz still has work to do (and he needs to be stronger and more decisive at times) but these minutes will only have helped. It might just take one goal for his confidence to soar.
Champions League state of play
Nothing can be won nor lost at this stage of the competition — a drawback of the new format, with so many teams progressing into the knockout phase — but qualifying as quickly as possible is the aim.
Liverpool did eventually take the first step towards that with a deserved victory, though it looked like that had been prevented by a lackluster second-half showing where the Reds saw their lead let slip. That will frustrate Slot, no doubt, but there is plenty of time to get some more points on the board, and Van Dijk got the winner anyway.
Next up: trips to Galatasaray and Eintracht Frankfurt, before Real Madrid comes to Anfield at the start of November. The fixture list doesn't get any easier, so the opening night three points will be welcome.
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