David Letterman had the longest-running Late Show in history. Liverpool are chasing him down.

Thirty-three years will take some beating, but five games into the new season, all won at the death, the Reds have a huge audience for a Late Show of their own.

And as with the American TV host, there are a few gags and differences of opinion.

Some are suggesting Arnie Time has replaced Fergie Time, and that opponents visibly wilt when facing the final onslaught.

Whatever, it’s causing blood pressure to rise in the red half of Merseyside as the minutes tick away and the score remains infuriatingly level.

But when the inevitable happens, relief is palpable, and some say the euphoria even adds to the champions’ aura.

Others say they’re lucky.

Scoring late goals is no fluke – it’s a reward for the relentlessness that great teams possess. That ability to hang on just a tad longer than an opponent.

It can be compared to the dip finish in a sprint, when the guy in second place manages to pip the front runner with a final lunge.

The winning runner is not lucky; he’s just timed his run to perfection to win, by maybe a hundredth of a second. On the day, he’s just better.

But in football, there’s no photo-finish and no guarantees. A referee might blow the whistle prematurely.

Another factor is that of the five games so far, three have been at Anfield, where, legend has it, the Kop possesses magical powers to divert the ball into the opponent’s net.

But a look at these favourable denouements suggests that only Dominik Szoboszlai’s free-kick against Arsenal was other-worldly.

The Hungarian’s dummy at Newcastle was also conceived in the heavens, but still needed Rio Ngumoah’s sumptuous finish.

The handball by Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri (that led to Mo Salah’s penalty) could be described as fortunate.

They also had luck with Salah’s free-kick taking two deflections to bamboozle Jan Oblak against Atletico. It was credited to Andy Robertson.

Salah’s goal was a welcome return to regal service from the Egyptian King, while perhaps the least deserved winner was against Bournemouth.

However, requiring these rescue acts regularly is a cause for concern.

Clearly, the team is not clicking like last year, but it is now made up of many new and different parts.

New full-backs, new strikers, new system: it’s not a surprise that even the high-priced recruits are still finding their gilded feet.

And to have a 100% record while they’re doing so has to be regarded as a bonus.

Record signing Alexander Isak was able to remove some rust in his first outing this week and suggested he could develop a decent understanding with Florian Wirtz.

Only Milos Kerkez, who Slot admits to being “not sure about” once he’s on a yellow card, has disappointed, while Wirtz still looks like a BMW still waiting to be fine-tuned.

No club is more familiar with the difficulties of a visit to Anfield than Saturday’s early kick-off (7.30pm in Malaysia) visitors, Everton.

Just a hefty clearance across Stanley Park away, but the neighbours’ last win on the hallowed ground was four years ago, their first victory there in any competition since 1999.

But it came during an incredible six consecutive home losses for Liverpool in the injury-ravaged season of 2020-21.

For motivation, David Moyes is more likely to use the epic “Tarkowski 2-2 draw” at Goodison last season when the popular defender volleyed the Toffees level with the last kick of the match.

The Blues were fighting relegation, and the battling point went some way to keeping them up.

If the Toffees have a dire record at Anfield, Moyes’s is even worse.

He’s yet to win a game in 21 attempts with four different clubs. Besides Everton, he’s been on the losing side with Manchester United, West Ham and Sunderland.

That said, the 62-year-old Scot is restoring pride in the club that he managed for 11 years in a prior stint. And according to Tarkowski, has inspired a mentality shift.

“As a group, the manager set his stall out,” the defender said. “He wants us right at the top half of the table and pushing up there.”

This season, the Toffees will be hoping to continue their impressive start, having won two and drawn one of their last three matches since losing on the opening day to Leeds.

Jack Grealish, on loan from Manchester City, has been the catalyst. Never having justified the £100 million that Pep paid for him, he’s relished the change to a less intense environment.

The ex-England man and Senegal’s Iliman Ndiaye will pose the main attacking threat to Liverpool’s rearguard.

Jordan Pickford is as solid as ever and will renew acquaintance with Van Dijk, upon whom his nasty tackle caused him to miss most of the 2020/21 season.

It also caused Van Dijk to miss the chance to skipper his country in what would have been his first major international tournament at Euro 2020.

The giant 34-year-old looks as good as ever and that powerful, headed winner against Atletico will be a reminder of his threat at set-pieces.

Everton, buoyed by the opening of their stunning new stadium, sense they are emerging from two decades in the doldrums and will be unusually positive about a trip to Anfield.

Besides, while Liverpool were battling with one of the toughest teams in Europe, Moyes’ boys had all week to prepare. Liverpool will have only two and a half days.

No one would say there’s never been a better time to meet the old Red enemy, but there’ve been plenty that were a lot worse.

The question is whether lunchtime in the UK is too early for Liverpool’s late show.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.