Van Dijk lifts Liverpool in five-goal thriller
Liverpool celebrated yet another dramatic late win as Virgil van Dijk's 92nd-minute header proved enough for a 3-2 victory over Atletico Madrid in a topsy-turvy Champions League opener.
Arne Slot's side has won each of its first four Premier League matches this season in similar fashion, although its performances have not always convinced.
The Atleti match was arguably Liverpool's display of the season so far, however, with Alexander Isak appearing in the XI for his debut and Mohamed Salah inspiring a fast start.
Salah saw a free-kick deflected in by Andy Robertson, before the provider turned scorer after just six minutes, sweeping in after a one-two with Ryan Gravenberch.
Liverpool looked on course for a comfortable victory, only for an old Anfield foe to come to the fore again in Marcos Llorente.
He had scored twice as Atletico eliminated then-defending European champions Liverpool on Merseyside in 2019-2020, and two more goals this time improbably brought the visitor level.
Llorente's second, a deflected, 81st-minute strike, came after Liverpool had passed up a series of chances to wrap up victory, with Salah hitting the post not long after the hour, but Slot's men appear to like doing things the hard way.
With record signing Isak long since replaced, it was left to captain Van Dijk to power in the last-gasp winner, after which Diego Simeone was sent off for an apparent altercation with some home fans.
