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This Liverpool side’s ability to achieve results at the death speaks volumes of their mentality (and of their ability to ruin Pep Guardiola’s evenings), but despite the clear positives, this pattern papers over something important; their seeming inability to punish teams early and coast to wins despite often being clearly the stronger side.

Thus far this season, the Reds have scored only twelve of their 30 total goals in the opening 30 minutes (with two being own goals), while they’ve netted in the final 20 minutes thirteen times.

Although this side has clearly grown in maturity and mental strength over Klopp’s tenure, it is easy to miss the team who also blew opponents away in the opening half and won comfortably.

Liverpool are not less creative in the opening part of games, and suggesting they tend to start slowly does not agree with the numbers. Of their 202 total chances thus far this season, one quarter were created in this opening period, suggesting a balanced approach that puts pain to the impressions of near-constant late, narrow wins.

They complete just under 40% of their passes in opposition penalty areas in this opening period, and have similar numbers of passes in the attacking third. The numbers suggest, then, that the Reds tend to put teams under pressure consistently over 90 minutes, but this doesn’t always translate into comfortable scorelines.

(Image: Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Against Tottenham, for example, the league leaders had 85 percent of possession in the first 70 minutes, yet the score during this period was 1-1, and three points were only secured through a late penalty.

Over much of this match, Tottenham was simply outplayed. Despite this, Liverpool failed to punish them, requiring graft from Mané deep into stoppage time. If Liverpool won late less often it could be called lucky; instead, the pattern of grinding out wins is seemingly to plan.

But is this plan sustainable? While it is heartening that the Reds can score late whenever they need to, it would certainly calm fans’ nerves if they could start doing this earlier. Doing so would help the team in other ways as well, given that putting matches to bed would allow a useful amount of squad rotation.

Mohamed Salah’s injury has come at an inopportune moment given that, with the Club World Cup included, Liverpool have more games to play in December than any other side. In an ideal world, Klopp could rely on squad depth to see out comfortable victories early allowing his core players a bit of rest.

Narrow, nail-biting victories are fine if they take us to the title, but getting into the habit of putting games to bed earlier would be helpful over a crowded holiday period.

Liverpool are capable of finding ways to win against the odds, but it would be grand if one of those ways could be early and in a decisive manner — at least for the next month and a half.