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Welcome back to The High Ground—where we cover the stories that make football’s heartbeat skip. Today, we’re diving into the one thing every fan swears they’re too old for but secretly craves: last-minute winners.
The 2025–26 Premier League season has become a highlight reel of heart attacks. Goals are coming later than ever, drama’s off the charts, and if you’re one of those fans who leaves on 89:00 to “beat the traffic,” you’ve probably missed more history this year than you’d like to admit.
The Season of Stoppage-Time Madness
This campaign has produced more 90th-minute goals than any other in Premier League history — and we’re only seven games in.
A goal is being scored in the 90th minute or later every 2.9 games, the most frequent rate ever recorded.
Even with fewer overall goals (just 2.6 per game, the lowest in a decade), more are coming in injury time than ever before.
13.2% of all goals this season have arrived after the 90th — at least 4% higher than any other campaign.
So not only are matches tighter… they’re exploding late.
Why Are Games So Wild at the End?
Sure, longer added time plays a part — but that’s not the full story. Since the 2023 rule change to crack down on time-wasting, matches are lasting over 100 minutes on average. Still, the average game is shorter than it was two years ago — yet we’re seeing more goals late on.
Here’s why:
Fitter players, fresher legs. With five substitutions, squads are rotating like clockwork, flooding the pitch with energy in the final minutes.
Tired defenders. Most centre-backs still play 90+, and intensity is higher than ever. Mistakes creep in, marking slips, and chaos reigns.
Set-piece evolution. Corners, wide free-kicks, and even throw-ins are more rehearsed and aggressive. This season, 90th-minute set-piece goals have risen from one every 15 games to one every 10.
Tighter scorelines. The average margin between sides this year is just 1.34 goals, the lowest since Leicester’s 2015–16 miracle run.
Simply put: there are fewer blowouts, more stalemates — and more reasons to gamble late.
When One Point Becomes Three
This season has already seen 24 last-minute goals — and 10 of them were winners. That’s 41.7%, the highest share in Premier League history.
Even crazier:
14.3% of all games this season have been decided by a 90th-minute winner.
That’s double any other season’s rate.
In a league where finishing one place higher can be worth millions in prize money, those moments aren’t just for highlight reels — they shift title races, Champions League spots, even careers.
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The Clubs Living on the Edge
Liverpool: Scored stoppage-time winners vs. Newcastle (3–2) and Burnley (1–0), but also conceded late heartbreakers to Palace and Chelsea. Klopp called it “emotional torture in two acts.”
Arsenal: Gabriel Magalhães’ 96th-minute strike at Newcastle was pure title-race fuel, and Martinelli’s late equaliser vs. City might prove crucial.
Man City: No 90th-minute winners yet — which, ironically, might explain why they’re not leading the table.
Brighton & Villa: Both have rescued points deep into stoppage time, a reflection of their relentless pressing style that pays off late.
These aren’t lucky moments — they’re tactical. Managers are throwing on attacking subs in the 85th, shaping the final ten minutes like mini-matches.
The Numbers Behind the Nerves
Metric | 2025–26 | Record/Trend |
|---|---|---|
Avg. goals per game | 2.6 | Lowest in 10 years |
Games with a 90th-min goal | Every 2.9 matches | All-time high |
Share of total goals after 90’ | 13.2% | Highest ever |
Matches decided by 90th-min winner | 14.3% | Double 2023–24’s record |
Avg. goal margin | 1.34 | Lowest since 2015–16 |
Avg. match length | 100+ minutes | 2nd-highest ever |
The Psychology of the 90th Minute
Every player says it: injury time hits different.
You’re running on fumes, the crowd’s at fever pitch, and every second feels elastic.
But there’s something new here. The modern Premier League has:
More parity (no “whipping boys,” no guaranteed 5–0s)
More fitness science, meaning attackers are as sharp in minute 95 as defenders are dull
More tactical risk, because one extra point might mean Europe
As football analyst Jonathan Manuel put it:
“The league’s become more balanced, more physical, and more mental. Players know they’re never out of it anymore.”
High Ground takeaway: Football’s final act has never been this electric. Whether it’s a scrappy tap-in at Turf Moor or a poetic curler at the Emirates, 90th-minute winners are now shaping the Premier League season.
If 2023–24 taught us that added time could extend drama, 2025–26 is showing us it can redefine it.
Every minute now counts — especially the ones that come after ninety.
So next time you’re at a match and thinking about leaving early, don’t. Because this season, the magic happens after everyone else would’ve gone home.
