Liverpool held without a shot on target in 1-0 Anfield loss as Wirtz still without a league big chance
Liverpool failed to register a shot on target in their 1-0 Premier League defeat by Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday, according to Opta, the first time the club have recorded such a blank at Anfield in a Premier League game since records began in 2003-04. Opta also note Liverpool had previously failed to hit the target in a goalless draw at the Emirates earlier this year, with the side hitting the woodwork in both matches.
Alexis Mac Allister’s floated ball from distance ended in David Raya’s hands but was not counted as a shot, and Liverpool’s attacking numbers were otherwise sparse: they recorded 52 touches in Arsenal’s penalty area yet produced only one Opta‑defined big chance. The Premier League average this season stands at 10.3 box touches per big chance, roughly five times more efficient than Liverpool’s rate in that game.
Across the division, 12 teams have registered fewer touches in opposition penalty boxes than Liverpool, but only Coventry, with 11 big chances, have generated fewer big chances than Liverpool’s total of 12. Everton’s Thierno Barry has created 15 big chances and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has 14, both ahead of Liverpool’s leading creators.
Liverpool’s output contrasts with their Champions League form, where they have 12 big chances from three matches. Opta rate two of those opponents, Lask and Villarreal, as being of lower standard than any Premier League side, and the report notes the league-phase Champions League matches tend to be more open.
The Premier League season has seen Liverpool spending more time attempting to break down low defensive blocks than any other club; they have conceded first in five of their eight matches and have held two-goal leads only against Ipswich and Brighton. On facing compact defences, head coach Andoni Iraola said: “I prefer to face low blocks in terms of: ‘OK, we will be in control of the game, probably we will concede less chances, we will spend a lot of time in the opposition half and those are the scenarios that we have to find,’” he said.
Only four teams have had more touches in the opposition half or attempted more final-third passes than Liverpool this season, yet that territorial control has not translated into higher-value opportunities. Florian Wirtz, frequently involved in dangerous areas and ranked ninth in the division for final‑third passes completed, has not created a big chance in the league this season; his debut campaign total of five big chances left him well behind Dominik Szoboszlai (14), Mohamed Salah (11) and Cody Gakpo (10).
Iraola will also want a more productive return from Liverpool’s high press: most of their Premier League big chances have come from corners or open-play crosses rather than turnovers. Bradley Barcola produced notable moments — recovering possession to go clean through at Brentford and converting an opposition mistake into an assist for Alexander Isak against Brighton — yet Liverpool have produced shots from only 16.7% of their ball recoveries in the final 40 yards, below the average of 18.4% and the seventh‑worst rate in the division.
Big chances have made up 18.1% of shots in the Premier League this season but account for 59.5% of goals, a disparity underlining the importance of creating them. Liverpool’s ambitions for Iraola’s first campaign will be severely limited unless they start fashioning big chances far more easily.