Stat of the Match: Brentford 0-2 Liverpool
Liverpool set a Premier League record for shots in an away game. But did they have too many? And who took the best and worst shots?
Liverpool took a step closer to a 20th league title with a dramatic 2-0 win at Brentford. Simply listing some of the remarkable statistics from the game as bullet points would fill the word count required.
You will have likely read by now that the Reds had 37 shots, which is the most by the away side in a Premier League match since records began in 2003. To only put eight on target from so many efforts feels disappointing but this is what the Bees do to opponents. They fluster and frustrate. Only Southampton have blocked more shots this season.
Liverpool also became the first team since 2014 to have at least 20 shots in four consecutive Premier League away games. It only took them 47 minutes to reach that benchmark in west London, which is absurd. As impressive as these records are, it’s fair to ask if there is such a thing as having too many shots.
Only against Nottingham Forest at Anfield (0.07) and Girona (0.08) did the Reds have a lower non-penalty xG per shot average than they logged on Saturday (0.09). It was one of their better games for average shot distance this season, but again the Brentford factor hindered that; of the 16 shots from 12-yards out or closer, eight were headers, with four of the others blocked and two off target. The only foot shots on target from relatively close range were the two goals.
This match came at the end of a week in which the depth of the Liverpool squad has come to the fore. Their last five goals have been scored by substitutes, with three of the strikes set up by non-starters too. The second goal at Brentford was built by Federico Chiesa passing to Harvey Elliott, who in turn teed up Darwin Núñez. The trio all began the game on the bench.
The attacking potential available to Arne Slot is also highlighted by eight players having at least three shots at the Gtech Stadium. Liverpool became the first away side to have so many men fire off a trio of attempts in a Premier League match for at least a decade, only the third home or away in that time.
But if we take the view that the Reds had too many shots, sacrificing quality for quantity, it feels worth assessing the efforts and decisions made. We might have to wait another 10 years for eight players to have three shots, and the world will have ended by then anyway.
There’s no need for a witch hunt here, consider this an exercise in decision making. Let’s start at the bottom.
8th: Trent Alexander-Arnold
One of the most eye-catching moments of the match occurred when Trent Alexander-Arnold lost his mind at Núñez taking a very poor shot. Perhaps he was just annoyed as he felt it was his job to waste possession from long range.
The Liverpool vice-captain had an effort six minutes from time that whistled just wide of the post. His other three were blocked so close to him that there’s no need to review video though. 0.03 expected goals per shot, Trent? There will have been better options.
7th: Ibrahima Konaté
As a centre-back, Ibrahima Konaté shouldn’t be criticised too harshly. Two of his efforts were from set plays, as you’d expect. The below was Liverpool’s joint-furthest out shot, though, tying two of Alexander-Arnold’s efforts at 31 yards from goal.
If it flies in, the French defender looks a hero, a genius, an ‘xG be damned’ maverick who dragged his side to a vital win. It did not fly in.
6th: Alexis Mac Allister
Alexis Mac Allister tied with Konaté for xG per shot, at a lowly 0.05. While none of his goal attempts were from ludicrous distances, the midfielder didn’t put any on target.
His one effort in open play might have been a better chance had he been able to hit it first time from his position. Unfortunately, Mohamed Salah’s pass (pictured below) went slightly behind him, allowing defenders time to close Mac down. It wasn’t his day in an attacking sense.
5th: Dominik Szoboszlai
We move into the players who had at least one shot on target with Dominik Szoboszlai. However, the Hungarian only registered one despite having seven shots in total, the most of any player. They came in a 25 minute burst too.
He also hit the crossbar, in fairness. Although he worked the space well to shoot when having his one effort which called Mark Flekken into action, Szoboszlai’s shot was so poorly hit - more of a back pass - that his post-shot xG tally gave him an average of 0.006 per shot.
4th: Cody Gakpo
If this list were determined by maths alone, Cody Gakpo would be higher. His attempts had the closest average distance, the second best xG per shot and he had the Reds’ only Opta-defined big chance between the 15th and 91st minutes.
Failing to steer this opportunity even towards the goal was poor though.
The below was even worse. It’s so hard to create high value shots against Brentford that teams have to make the most of the few decent chances they have. Credit to Flekken for closing Gakpo down, but I was so annoyed there wasn’t a goal to celebrate that I nearly kicked my TV like a truck driver watching the Sex Pistols. Sorry, Cody, even nerds get emotional at times like these.
Bronze Medal: Mohamed Salah
Salah has now gone three games without making a goal contribution. What the hell is going on? Start an inquiry. It must be the contract situation, right? FSG OUT.
Calm down. He created seven chances in this match, only two fewer than Brentford. One very mild issue with his shooting in the last couple of games has been a relative lack of shots from the danger zone (the central section of the penalty area through the width of the six-yard box).
Sadly there is no easy way to check, but one suspects Forest and the Bees are not just your favourite new indie band, they are also rather good at restricting goal attempts from this prime piece of pitch. Like Szoboszlai, Salah’s only effort on target on Saturday dribbled towards goal, while he also hit one close to the left-hand upright in the second half as Alexander-Arnold did. Should he be lower in this list, come to think of it?
Silver Medal: Luis DÃaz
Lucho divides opinion in respect of his merits as playing as the central forward. Luis DÃaz doesn’t have the striker’s instinct to hold an advanced position in the box or sniff out chances when the ball is loose close to goal.
Despite this, he was one of only two players in the Premier League to have six shots from inside the box this weekend. On this alone, maybe the Colombian’s abilities as the spearhead of the attack are being underrated.
Gold medal: Darwin Núñez
From this:
To this:
In a mere 15 minutes. The Liverpool career of Núñez beautifully highlights the foolishness in trying to assess a player’s shooting. In Darwin’s case, even judging his performance isn’t easy; he scored as many goals as he completed passes in this match.
Núñez is like the walking embodiment of that Manchester United slogan, ‘hated, adored, never ignored.’ Whatever your view of his abilities, whether you think he’s an unpolished gem or an Andy Carroll wannabe, the 25-year-old is always worth watching. Something will happen for good or bad, probably both.
Just as he settled the matches at Newcastle and Forest last season in dramatic style, so he stung the Bees when they thought they’d secured a point. I’d say ‘don’t ever change, Darwin’, but more of your late shots from this game and fewer of the earlier efforts would be welcome. It’s safe to assume Alexander-Arnold agrees.
If memory serves, Nuñez and Salah had a great understanding prior to the latter getting injured at AFCON. So if we're not selling Darwin this window, I think this performance merits a couple starts in the next few matches. Just when I'd all but given up on him he comes up with the goods. We all know there is a world class 9 in there somewhere.
Nunez is a player that burns brightest in moments. He rarely sustains it when he had a run of starting in the team. In that way, he may be our new Origi. And I'm fine with that.