Liverpool saw off Manchester City in an absolutely staggering 4-3 win that might well rank as one of their best performances under Jürgen Klopp. But what were the key stats from this incredible game of football?
Finishing Levels: Insane
This was a game of absolutely brilliant goals. All four of Liverpool’s goals were outrageously good finishes, and the xG merely reinforced that. Liverpool’s total expected goals for the entire game was only 1.02 – and the total xG for their four goals was just 0.27. That is some absolutely insane finishing, with Oxlade-Chamberlain’s goal only having a 0.02 xG and Salah’s stunning finish was even lower.
City weren’t too bad either, scoring three from their 0.72 xG with their goals totalling 0.45 xG. The less said about the goalkeeping in this game, the better… Sane’s goal that had Liverpool fans up in arms at Loris Karius had an xG of 0.06. Ouch.
The Fab Four – Reborn
.@Alex_OxChambo: MotM vs Manchester City @LFC pic.twitter.com/Vi9cWuKiN5
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) January 14, 2018
Liverpool’s fab-four may have a new member. With Salah, Firmino and Mane all scoring today, nevertheless the man of the match was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, whose impressive stats are outlined above. Along with having the joint highest key passes, he also had the second highest expected assists in this LFC team – 0.20 xA. Nobody in a red shirt had more dribbles than Ox’s five either, with 5/6 a solid percentage too.
The Scottish Roberto Carlos & the German Javier Mascherano
Andy Robertson is a bit good, isn’t he? When he was signed in the summer for £8m, there was never really the sense that Liverpool’s left-back situation was finally sorted, but between Robertson and the return to form of Moreno, left-back is now one of Liverpool’s strongest positions. Robertson made seven tackles out of nine, made seven clearances, and had made 26 of his 33 passes.
Meanwhile, Emre Can, the magnificent, beautiful German, made six of his eight tackles, made two interceptions, played 31 of his 35 passes and made one key pass. Can was every bit as important as Robertson, and when he went off The Reds capitulated. His contribution is even more staggering given the stat below:
Most mins played, most KMs run of any LFC player since Dec 1st https://t.co/eY9cddE8Nj
— SimonBrundish (@SimonBrundish) January 14, 2018
Please don’t leave Emre.
The Counter-Attacking Reds
Man City had two-thirds of the ball. Their passing accuracy was 86% compared to LFC’s 75%. And yet the Reds had more shots (16-11), more shots on target (7-4), and as mentioned above had a higher xG. City dominated possession, Liverpool dominated the game and in the second half that showed. Liverpool thoroughly deserved this win and it was a classic Liverpool performance.
Anfield Comforts
Before we go, some sensational home records for The Reds. Their fifth straight home win against The Sky Blues; City have now only won once at Anfield since 1981, and haven’t won at Anfield since 2003. This is Liverpool’s fourth straight league win, the last time they managed four straight league wins was Christmas last year, sealed with a 1-0 win over Man City. Liverpool are now 14 games unbeaten in the league at home and 19 games unbeaten at Anfield in all competitions. Fortress.
