Liverpool set an unwanted record against Arsenal as they failed to register a shot on target for the first time in 442 Premier League home games, dating back to when records began in 2003. The ignominious statistic was confirmed by Opta, who initially credited Ronald Araujo and Alexis Mac Allister with shots on target but later ruled them as a blocked shot and overhit pass. Liverpool's finishing was wayward.
They were also incorrectly denied a penalty. But a lack of creativity was the bigger issue. Their 17 shots were worth a meagre 1.05 expected goals.
It was just the latest example of them struggling to create high-quality chances. Liverpool's total of 140 shots this season is the fifth-highest among Premier League sides. But they rank much lower for both goals scored and expected goals, in ninth and 11th respectively.
Their shot locations help to explain the disparity. Closer-range shots typically have a higher probability of going in. Liverpool, though, have taken a large chunk of their total from long distance.
The Reds have the fourth-highest percentage of shots from outside the box in the division at 39 per cent, behind only Manchester United, Hull and Newcastle, all of whom sit in the bottom half of the Premier League table nine games into the season. By contrast, Liverpool's proportion of shots from inside the six-yard box is the sixth-lowest in the division, at eight per cent. It is worth noting the two sides with the highest percentages of shots from inside the six-yard box are leaders Arsenal and second-placed Manchester City on 17 per cent and 13 per cent respectively.
The problem is summed up by Dominik Szoboszlai, who has taken a higher percentage of his shots from outside the box than any other player in the Premier League this season, at 93 per cent. Of his 14 shots, the only one taken from inside the box was the penalty he converted against Newcastle on the opening day. He has not found the net in the competition since.
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