Liverpool have clinched an unwanted record in the Premier League this season having been significantly below their best in the 2-2 draw against Man United.
If there is any fixture in which you should not have to worry about Liverpool showing up with intent, it is this one, but the Reds were severely lacking at Anfield.
Instead of looking fresh after a week off, Arne Slot‘s side looked as though they had played the night before such was the lack of intensity.
It was easy to spot at Anfield and beyond, with the statistics only amplifying the lacklustre start as the Reds failed to make a single tackle in the first 45 minutes.
They are, therefore, as per Squawka, the first side to make zero tackles in the first half of a Premier League game this season. Talk about unwanted records.
At the end of the 90, they finished with just two successful tackles compared to United’s eight.
It is at odds with what we’ve seen from a Slot side so far, and with the help of FotMob we can see how Liverpool were defensively below par.
It wasn’t just Trent…
Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s defensive capabilities have always been questioned, but he was the subject of deserved criticism for a performance that lacked any energy, passion or gumption.
On the other side of the pitch, Andy Robertson did not fare much better and it left Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate with a lot of extra work to tidy up their mess.
Robertson made just one successful tackle, lost three of his four duels and was dribbled past once, while Alexander-Arnold contested zero tackles, lost all five of his duels, committed two fouls and was dribbled past twice in 86 minutes.
Ultimately, it played a role in forcing the Reds to make the most clearances in a Premier League match so far this season (29) and allowing the joint-third most touches in their box (31), as per FotMob.
It is at odds with their season averages, with Liverpool ranked third for the fewest clearances per match (15.9) and United ranked 12th in the league for touches in the opposition box.
“[It was] a game with a lot of emotions, 1-0 down, obviously a great comeback going 2-1 up, then you have to control the game much better,” Van Dijk assessed.
“We were still sloppier than we were, losing the ball in difficult situations, where we were more open. Then to concede the second one was very disappointing, how easy that went in.”
The captain, understandably, did not seek to point the finger, saying: “Defending is not only a defender, it’s about everyone else on the pitch as well, trying to avoid passes into the last part of the pitch for the opponents.”
In all of this, though, United deserve credit for turning up for the match and putting in their best performance under Ruben Amorim, with Liverpool fortunate to take even a point.
Slot and Co. will be thankful they can quickly shift their focus to Tottenham in the League Cup, but lessons must be taken from this draw if it is to be nothing but an untimely blip.
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