Liverpool were frustrated again as they registered another 1-1 draw at home against opposition that they really should have been beating. But what were the key stats from the Merseyside Derby?
Salah Leads From The Front
Once again, it was the Mo Salah show at Anfield. Despite only playing 67 minutes, Salah notched six key passes, seven dribbles, and seven shots. His influence on the game was clear as he was Liverpool’s most dangerous player, scoring an absolutely world class goal and unfortunate to miss a great headed chance. Salah ended the game with Liverpool’s highest individual xG (0.6) and their highest xA (0.48). Another elite performance from an elite player.
Dominant Reds Had It In Their Hands
Liverpool were absolutely dominant in just about every statistic. 23 shots to three, 79% of the possession, 17 completed dribbles to Everton’s one, 12 corners again to just one for Everton. And on expected goals, Everton created about one-tenth of a goal from open play whilst Liverpool created about two goals (depending on which model you’re using).
What’s interesting when we compare this to Liverpool’s recent performances, is how the Reds have looked incredibly good on the counter-attack, with less possession and less domination. Yet this was a return to the frustrating performance against a low block seen against the likes of Burnley. That said, domination like this should still convert to wins, and goals.
Wasteful Reds Finish Poorly
This stat is woeful. It makes a lot of sense, given that Liverpool are the sort of team that look to press hard and continue to press hard and often end up burning out, but it’s still absolutely atrocious. There are a variety of circumstances to consider, with freak goals like Willian’s and the nonsense that was the penalty given today, but Liverpool’s inability to close out games, coupled with their lack of late goals, is starting to be a real concern.
we've dropped 10 points this season when we've been leading after 70mins
— SimonBrundish (@SimonBrundish) December 10, 2017
Oxlade-Chamberlain Fails To ImpressÂ
With Mane and Salah carrying the attacking burden for the side, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain turned in a poor creative performance from midfield. Zero shots on target, zero chances created, xA of 0.00, one dribble, two out of thirteen successful crosses. Given the state of Liverpool’s midfield, that’s a pretty woeful display from a player who was carrying a lot of the creative burden. Milner on the other side of the midfield wasn’t much better, but at least created Salah’s best chance of the match with a phenomenal cross.
