Resilience, character, call Liverpool’s knack for great escapes what you will; Lallana prefers to call it a sixth sense
Trezeguet Robertson Mane
ADAM LALLANA reckons Liverpool are showing a “sixth sense” for pipping teams at the post.
Jurgen Klopp’s men turned in another late, late show thanks to Sadio Mane’s two pieces of magic.
The Senegalese star set up Andrew Robertson’s late equaliser, then glanced home a beautiful header in the final minute of stoppage time.
England international Lallana (right) believes opposing teams are starting to get the collywobbles against the Reds as the clock ticks down.
Lallana said: “We keep getting late goals. Another two today and one in midweek.
“Then there was my goal at Manchester United a couple of weeks ago. The resilience and character is there in abundance.
“It’s almost like a sixth sense. We knew at half-time that if we could get one goal it could lead to another.
“We got it late but we still had time and, with the deliveries and set-pieces we’ve got in our team, we use it to our advantage. It’s such a weapon.
“Teams worry when it’s late. Even though we weren’t at our best in the first half we were saved by that never-say-die approach.
“Two goals in the last five minutes. We’ve just got that momentum. We’re just on that path at the minute.”
When Lallana fluffed a 75thminute chance by screwing his shot wide, Villa looked good value for the win.
But the midfielder said you could feel anxiety in a packed Villa Park as Liverpool searched for a leveller.
He added: “You can feel the tension in the crowd – that’s exactly what happens when you get late goals. It didn’t surprise me that we got that second goal.
“We were poor in the first half today and it was important we had a reaction in the second. I had a big chance with 15 minutes to go. We just needed that goal to change the momentum and that’s exactly what happened.”
Lallana paid tribute to the influence of Mane. “What a player Sadio is,” he said. “He just comes up with big moments all the time. Same with Robbo as well. Massive for us.”
You had to feel for Villa who put in a really great performance only to leave the pitch feeling like they’d been mugged. They started brightly, Anwar El Ghazi thumping a shot into keeper Alisson’s chest after just 34 seconds.
Mane squandered close-range headed chance and the importance of a
that was underlined a few minutes later when the impressive John McGinn swung a free kick to the far post where Trezeguet pounced with a low shot.
When Roberto Firmino had a perfectly good goal disallowed for offside – only his armpit could possibly have been (below) – and Mane was then booked for diving, all things pointed to a Villa win.
But just as Liverpool’s unbeaten start to the season looked in dire straits, up stepped Mane. His cross to the far post for Robertson’s 87thminute equaliser was sublime, the rampaging full-back making no mistake with a powerful header.
But his encore was even better as Liverpool cashed in on lapses in concentration in the home defence.
Trent Alexander-Arnold swung a corner towards the near post and Mane crouched to steer home his header from a ridiculous angle.