As Liverpool’s arch-nemesis Manchester United enjoyed a golden age under Sir Alex Ferguson, winning 13 titles in 21 seasons, supporters of rival teams inevitably looked for ways to deligitimize its success. One of those was to concoct the notion of ‘Fergie time’, whereby United was allegedly awarded additional stoppage time when trailing or drawing, allowing it to fight back for one point or all three.
There’s certainly no objective proof that the officials were lending Manchester United a helping hand in this regard, but the Red Devils did make use of every single second. Between 1992 and 2013, they scored 81 league goals after the 90-minute mark, just under five per cent of their total under Ferguson (via Goal).
It was perhaps the greatest weapon of his sides, making for so many pivotal moments in the pursuit of silverware. The biggest example, of course, was the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich, when Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær scored in an iconic added time comeback.
It wasn’t quite as late in the day, nor did it come in a cup final, but Darwin Núñez’s double off the bench for 10-man Liverpool away to Newcastle in August could still prove to be vital at the end of the season. Núñez would equalize in the 81st minute, and snatch an extraordinary victory in the 93rd.
Jürgen Klopp’s men have also found themselves on the heartbroken side, though. Joël Matip’s own goal in the 96th minute away to Tottenham at the end of the September, which broke the incredible resistance of Liverpool’s nine men, was the latest winning goal the Reds had conceded since Opta records began, and the latest own goal in a Premier League match.
Last-gasp drama has been a trend throughout the division across the first eight matchweeks, with teams already scoring 30 goals in added time, as opposed to just 11 at this stage last season. That constitutes a whopping 173 per cent increase, via The Analyst.
It’s no coincidence. Matches are now lasting around three minutes longer thanks to new ‘World Cup-style’ directives, which see more minutes tacked on for substitutions, goal celebrations and time-wasting. In turn, there has been a 38.7 per cent rise in the volume of added-time shots, inevitably leading to more goals.
The likelihood is that this early trend will broadly continue, and that Liverpool will feel both the benefit and the sting again before the campaign is out. You’d imagine that, more so than ever, the season of the eventual champion will be defined by stoppage-time moments
There are signs that Liverpool is becoming a ‘mentality monster’ once again, most of all after the aforementioned red cards against Newcastle and Spurs, and so it will hope to be the team that emulates Ferguson’s United in its hours of need. Indeed, the longer games are particularly useful for a side that has developed a prolonged habit of falling behind, doing so in five of its first eight league matches this season and 28 of its last 63 overall. The new directives generally play into the hands of top teams, forcing weaker opponents to hold out for longer, and may especially suit Liverpool.
