Liverpool clinched a last-minute victory for the fifth consecutive match this season, demonstrating their relentless spirit and preserving their perfect record with a European triumph over Atletico Madrid.

Virgil Van Dijk scored a 93rd-minute winner after Atletico had fought back from 2-0 down in a game that saw boss Diego Simeone sent off.

Daily Mail Sport’s Lewis Steele was in situ and here are his big talking points…

The sun was still rising on Wednesday morning when messages started filtering in with just two words: ‘Isak starts’.

The buzz around Anfield has been all about the new addition to the squad, with a hefty price tag of £125 million. This star-studded signing was undoubtedly the center of attention for Liverpool supporters.

So how did Isak perform? In the first 30 minutes, he was just okay. However, in the following 15 minutes, he impressed. After halftime, he seemed to need a breather. Despite not having played much in the last four months, aside from a brief 18-minute appearance for Sweden, his debut was commendable.

Initially, he was reserved, adapting to his new environment. But soon, he began to showcase his talent to Liverpool fans and all of Europe, effortlessly creating scoring opportunities seemingly out of thin air.

The Swedish player, nearing his 26th birthday on Sunday, pulled off some impressive maneuvers, linking up beautifully with Florian Wirtz (more on him shortly). His hard work was evident as he moved into strategic positions, although his teammates didn’t always find him.

During the warm-up, I closely observed him, and he nailed every shot in the drills with precision. Unfortunately, in the actual game, his attempts narrowly missed the target. Nevertheless, ahead of Saturday’s Merseyside Derby, Isak appears to be in unexpectedly fine form.

Wirtz’ first-class display

This was Wirtz’s best performance in a Liverpool shirt.

Was it perfect? No, there is still more to come – a lot more to come judging by what those in Germany make of him as a player and what his statistics have shown so far in his career.

But he got on the ball more and made things happen, which is what he does best. The former Bayer Leverkusen star constantly showed for the ball and, while not everything came off, he finally showed what many Reds fans hope he can be: the beating heart of this team.

Shoddiness catches up with Liverpool… nearly

Can you tell the last word was added to this sub-heading at the last second?

But seriously, Liverpool, any chance of a normal win any time soon? In five games this season, they have scored winning goals in minutes 88, 90+10, 83, 90+5 and 90+2.

Is that sustainable? That is the question on everyone’s lips – but the main thing to say is that Slot thinks his team is ahead of schedule and can only get better from here onwards.

Is it a fluke? Another salient point and not one without merit, but it is not entirely fair. Liverpool have been the best team in each of the five games that they have needed last-gasp winners to take three points from.

But of course it cannot continue like this and surely it will not as Liverpool get fitter and stronger and become more capable of controlling games they take the lead in.

Whether they have done a deal with the devil or not, every Liverpool game seems to guarantee drama and is the hottest ticket in town – even though every Reds fan at Anfield will have gone through every single emotion in every game so far this season!

Robertson takes his chance (but his goal was jammy!)

Andy Robertson wheeled away to celebrate like he was prime Alan Shearer after a lucky finish bounced off his shin into the goal. And like all good strikers, he claimed the goal as his own even if he knew nothing about it. Sorry, Andy, they all count but it was a wee bit jammy!

Anyway, spare a thought for Milos Kerkez who has started all four Premier League games – plus the Community Shield – only to be dropped for this one on the back of his premature substitution in the 38th minute at Burnley on Sunday.

Three minutes into his first start of the campaign, Robertson scored while Kerkez could only watch on from the bench.

The Scotland captain put in a pleasing defensive performance thereafter, too, and staked his claim to be the main man at left back despite Kerkez signing for £45m this summer.

Big decisions for Slot, then, on Saturday as Everton are coming back across town for the Merseyside Derby. Does he go with the tried-and-tested, experienced head of Robertson, or revert back to his energetic new Hungarian Kerkez?

Picking my derby day XI

Let’s end with a bit of fun after that enthralling game and, as my colleague Ian Ladyman asked on Sunday: how does four become three? He was referring to the forwards but I am asking it as regards to the midfielders, too.

How does one of Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister or Wirtz miss out? Who gets the nod as No 9, Isak or Hugo Ekitike? Szoboszlai and Ekitike were the ones to miss out on most people’s ‘best XIs’ before the season – but both were outstanding in this game.

There are also big calls to make at full back. As discussed above on the left, but what about the battle between Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley? Anyway, here is my XI for Saturday’s big clash. Complaints on a postcard…

Alisson; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak (Ekitike to come off the bench after 60 minutes).