Late goals define the season as Liverpool stumble and Arsenal close in

THE common theme in the first six game weeks of this Premier League season is late goals.

Brighton scored twice at Stamford Bridge to beat Chelsea, Crystal Palace scored with literally the last kick of the game, and Bournemouth equalised late against Leeds while Erling Haaland got a brace for Manchester City against Burnley.

The late goal of the week, however, belongs to Gabriel Magalhaes, who scored the winner in the sixth minute of injury time as Arsenal took advantage of the results on Saturday to close the gap on the league leaders.

​An entertaining match at St. James Park as Arsenal look for their first win at that venue since 2023.

Mikel Arteta’s men were certainly value for money. Arteta probably heard the conversation online because he did not start with three defensive midfielders this time around, but instead included Eze from the get-go.

​It was a highly entertaining end-to-end game between the two teams – definitely the game of the weekend and worthy of occupying the Super Sunday slot.

This win will give Arteta the encouragement to take more risks going forward. It also highlights the strength and depth of this Arsenal squad because everyone contributed.

I would not call these players coming from the bench as reserved, but more as ‘Game Changer!’ because they definitely did for the Gunners.

The fixture will get friendlier for Arsenal, and Arteta probably hopes they can build on this to seriously mount a title challenge.

​As for the league leaders, sooner or later, the chickens come home to roost. Liverpool may have won five out of five games, but they’ve done so without looking impressive. Arne Slot can dress it up as ‘mentality,’ but everyone knows it is luck, and sooner or later, luck runs out.

That is exactly what happened at Selhurst Park, where Crystal Palace remain the league’s only undefeated side.

​This collapse had been coming, so it is no surprise. If not for Alisson Becker, the scoreline could have resembled a cricket match.

Liverpool have no real system or style of play. You wonder what they are even doing at Melwood other than taking training ground photos for ‘vibes.’

This squad appear more interested in appearances than in putting real heart into performances. Will we see a repeat of the Spice Boys’ era?

​The transfer window could be Liverpool’s undoing. Slot won last season’s league title with Juergen Klopp’s squad, only tweaking the style of play.

This year’s team is entirely his, and forcing Florian Wirtz into the line-up might already be backfiring – especially after Cody Gakpo started the season so well.

​Wirtz is just one game away from becoming ‘Agent 007’: zero goals, zero assists in seven games. If he starts again next week and fails to deliver, he will be in Timo Werner territory.

Is he really the German wonderkid everyone hyped, or did Bayer Leverkusen just pull a fast one on Richard Hughes and Liverpool’s recruitment team?

Reds fans may think they snatched him away from Manchester City, but it is hard to imagine Pep Guardiola losing sleep over not signing him.

With Daichi Kamada and Adam Wharton running the show for Palace at a fraction of Wirtz’s price, the pressure is mounting fast.

Perhaps going back to default should be on Slot’s mind because forcing the agenda is definitely not the way forward.

​Palace’s victory highlighted Oliver Glasner’s managerial nous.

This is a coach who knows exactly how to set up his team, and performances like this explain why he refused to sell Marc Guehi to Liverpool.

Guehi is the defensive anchor and true leader of this side. Do not be surprised if Palace make another deep cup run this season, provided they stay healthy.

​Meanwhile, at Old Trafford, is it finally time for Ruben Amorim to go? If Graham Potter’s sacking was executed, Amorim can’t be far behind – especially with a worse record. Nine wins in 33 league games, a 27.3% win rate, is the lowest of any post-Sir Alex Ferguson manager.

Starting with ‘two Harry Maguires’ at the back (one being the Dutch version) was suicidal – neither defender had any chemistry.

Amorim was outclassed by a manager who is barely six games into his professional coaching career and just got his coaching licence.

The 3-4-3 system is broken. Amorim persisting with Bruno Fernandes in midfield is nothing short of a crime because Brentford know how to play against United.

One ball over the top and it is over. It has been almost a year, and the players seem to be unable to grasp the system implemented by Amorim.

This stubbornness ultimately has a price.

​While Amorim still chases his first back-to-back win, Chelsea are dealing with back-to-back defeats.

Brighton, a club Chelsea routinely plunder for talent, got their revenge with a late surge. Enzo Maresca may have some credit in the bank after winning the Club World Cup, but continued results like this could put him under pressure quickly.

It gets tougher for Maresca as Liverpool come to visit next week. Lots to work on in the training ground!

​Will this late goals trend continue, or is it just a blip in the system? Regardless, it is providing so much joy for some and despair for others.

May it long continue because ultimately, the league prospers from it.