Liverpool did not have a shot on target in their 1-0 defeat by Arsenal on Sunday, according to Opta, the first time they have drawn this type of blank in a Premier League game at Anfield since records began in 2003-04. They did not find the target in a goalless draw at the Emirates Stadium this year either, though in both games they struck the woodwork. The margins tend to be fine when recording statistical outliers.
If Alexis Mac Allister’s floated ball from distance into David Raya’s waiting arms had actually counted as a shot, would Andoni Iraola’s side have delivered a markedly better attacking performance? Far more concerning for the Spaniard will be that his team had 52 touches in the Arsenal penalty area (which is good) to create only one Opta‑defined big chance (which is bad). The Premier League average this season is five times more efficient; 10.3 box touches per big chance.
Credit to Arsenal for restricting the quality of Liverpool’s chances despite them getting repeatedly within range of their goal. Most teams have been able to do this, though. While 12 teams have had fewer touches in opposition penalty boxes than Liverpool, only Coventry with 11 have generated fewer big chances this season than Liverpool’s 12.
Everton’s Thierno Barry alone has had 15, while Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has also had more than Liverpool with 14. Liverpool have not had this issue in Europe. They have 12 big chances in the Champions League in just three games.
As two of their opponents, Lask and Villarreal, are rated by Opta as being of lower standard than any side in the Premier League, this is little surprise. The relatively low stakes of a given match in the league- phase of the Champions League encourages those matches to be more open, too. This has not been the case in the 2026-27 Premier League for Liverpool, who have spent more time building up against low defensive blocks than any other team.
This is, in part, a problem of their own making as they have conceded first in five of their eight matches. Only against Ipswich and Brighton have they held two‑goal leads, meaning opponents have rarely had compelling need to significantly loosen their defensive grip. In his first Liverpool press conference, head coach Iraola spoke of embracing the challenge set by deep-lying defences.
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