Liverpool’s late-late shows continued on September 17th as they kicked off their 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign in perfect fashion. The Reds met Atletico Madrid at Anfield and seemed on course for an easy victory when a Pablo Barrios own goal and Mohamed Salah’s strike gave the hosts a 2-0 lead after just six minutes. But a familiar Spanish face would rear its head at the ground that made him famous five years ago.
Marcos Llorente famously scored twice at Anfield to dump the defending champion Reds out of the Champions League back in 2020, and he was on song with a brace once again to level the contest at 2-2. Then, deep into injury time, captain Virgil van Dijk nodded home to secure a stunning 3-2 victory, marking the fifth game on the spin in which Liverpool have scored a late winning goal.
Never Say Die Liverpool
Prior to the international break, Liverpool had already found late winners to win all three of their Premier League games so far this season. Then, they headed to Turf Moor in a clash that online Burnley vs Liverpool odds makers made Arne Slot’s side a huge 1/3 favourite to win. The Merseysiders made hard work of it, but they would ultimately triumph when Salah slammed home a 95th-minute penalty.
Following that victory, Premier League betting sites now consider the reigning champions as a huge 6/5 favourite to successfully defend the title. If they continue finding late winners, it’s hard to see anyone being able to keep pace with them. But while Liverpool’s current exploits might seem like an anomaly, some other sides have managed to find last-gasp winners continually throughout a campaign. But none of them did so quite as emphatically as Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen.
Unbeatable Bayer Leverkusen
Two seasons ago, Bayer Leverkusen upset the status quo as they dethroned Bayern Munich to win the Bundesliga for the first time in the club’s history. And they did so on the back of a slew of late winners.
Die Werkself managed to net stoppage time equalizers or winners in no fewer than six games en route to the title. They managed to keep their unbeaten record intact with a 94th-minute equalizer away at Bayern Munich, as well as a 97th-minute point-earner on the road against Borussia Dortmund. They also bagged last-gasp goals to secure all three points against both Augsburg and RB Leipzig, while they netted two injury-time goals to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Hoffenheim to ultimately win 2-1.
Those exploits led Leverkusen to the Meisterschale, but their late heroics were also on full display in the Europa League as well. Patrick Schick netted 93rd and 98th-minute goals against Qarabag to progress to the quarterfinals, while they also netted four goals after the 80th minute in their games again West Ham and Roma en route to the final. Unfortunately, though, their unbeatable nature would betray them as they were resoundingly beaten 3-0 by Atalanta in Dublin to miss out on an invincible treble.
