Can Liverpool Overtake Chelsea?

Is there a better feeling in football than your team scoring a very late winner in a crucial fixture? Sadio Mane’s 94th minute tap-in against Everton on Monday evening triggered a euphoric response from every Red in the world.

The sense of failure, of having seemingly let two more vital points slip away in the title race, ebbed away with the added knowledge that even with Liverpool’s defensive record it was too late for a tired, demoralised opposition to do anything about it.

Such an impactful goal sent fans straight to the statisticians, who informed everyone it was Liverpool’s 29th winner in injury time during the Premier League era — and that they’d scored more of them than anybody else.

That initially did not seem like many, just over one a year in fact, but the distinction was clearly made between goals in normal time however late and those grabbed in time added on for stoppages.

The other thing that occurred to an admittedly obsessed Liverpool supporter was “So much for Fergie Time.”

Liverpool fans can be less than gracious about Manchester United’s incredible success since 1992 — but was this a media construct, inferring referees were inclined to add time on for United to find a winning goal?

The idea of officials favouring one team is something that blighted Liverpool in their dominant years.

The pesky facts were simpler; in order to compete for the league title a draw wasn’t enough. Your team needed all three points and the determination to keep going right to the very end meant the difference between first and second place.

It’s hardly a surprise if Liverpool fans not only rejoiced in Mane’s winner for victory, local pride and a chance to keep close to Chelsea in the table — it was also a sign to them that Liverpool were adding steely resolve to the flair they’ve often displayed this season under Jurgen Klopp’s leadership.

The goal came in a Merseyside derby, reminding fans of Gary McAllister’s last-ditch winning free kick in April 2001 in the same fixture. A game seemingly headed for a draw, which was no use to Liverpool in their pursuit of third place for their first-ever qualification for the Champions League. Everton had battled fiercely but seemed ultimately satisfied. If they couldn’t win, they’d at least scuppered their bitter rivals’ ambitions.

McAllister’s 40-yard free kick benefited from a weak attempt to stop it by Everton keeper Paul Gerrard, not unlike Joel Robles’ failure to get near Daniel Sturridge’s effort before Mane tapped in the rebound off a post.

The 2001 goal sufficiently rejuvenated the Reds enough to go on and win two more cups they were still in and also qualify for the Champions League. They won eight of their nine remaining games after Everton, with McAllister influential in all of them.

For someone with such a short Anfield career, he is something of an iconic figure and the late Goodison winner was central to that.

Will Mane’s goal trigger a similar response this season? It’s possible, but coming less than halfway through the season it may not have the triumphal impact of McAllister’s strike.

There is also the troublesome presence of a resurgent Chelsea on an incredible run currently.

Monday’s win was most satisfactory but there were troubling moments during it, one of which was the form of Roberto Firmino who might have made the game safer if his finishing was better. Any comparison with Chelsea’s Diego Costa is no comparison at all.

Divock Origi has been fairly prolific recently but was another disappointment at Goodison. To be fair, Liverpool have spread the goals around this season and it was Mane’s turn to get the vital winner.

You get the feeling though the side needs to create at least four chances in order to score once. Even the 6-1 thrashing of Watford saw an incredible number of chances created.

With that in mind, Mane’s departure for the African Nations Cup will be a huge factor in a busy January for the Reds.

Still revelling in the afterglow of success in the derby, it’s easy to get carried away with the idea of Liverpool being serious title contenders.

There is admittedly a long way to go but what Liverpool displayed against Everton was passion, unity and persistence.

That hadn’t always been the case and you don’t have to look back further than the 3-4 debacle at Bournemouth to see Liverpool wilting late on and suffering an injury time setback of their own.

For now, the Reds go into the holiday period of games in upbeat mood and they need to keep it going especially since Chelsea have relatively easy matches coming up.