Match data from WhoScored, except average position from the SofaScore app.
In a lot of ways, this was very much an end-of-season affair, at least once news of City's goals filtered through. Both sides were below average in shots and Expected Goals. There were a couple of goals from the home side, early and late, to keep the process moving, but nothing truly special.
We've been here before. So let's just go over a few notes we've hit before.
Liverpool is good at crossing and gets a lot of goals from it.
That's 40 goals from crosses – out of 113 in total. Here's a spreadsheet with greater detail.
Liverpool gets a lot of those crosses and assists from its fullbacks. 30 of them, in fact. Well, 30 if we count two Alexander-Arnold non-assists that should have counted as actual assists. Trent Alexander-Arnold – all of 20 years old – set the record for assists from a defender in the Premier League. Andy Robertson merely tied it.
Notice how many of the assists came in the second half of the season.
Liverpool also got a late goal to settle any lingering nerves. Yes, from a cross and full-back assist.
Seven of those 32 goals after the 75th minute were equalizers, with one leveling matters and 11 more with just a one-goal lead, all but making a win certain.
And Liverpool won at Anfield. Again. Unbeaten in the league this season on their own ground, as they were last season. The only loss at Anfield this season came in the League Cup, a 1-2 defeat thanks to Hazard's late goal with a very much changed Liverpool XI.
That's a lot of days.
So, yeah, it's a perfectly fine – and almost perfectly fitting way – to end the league campaign. Except for Liverpool's final standing in the league table.
The campaign did not end the way we'd hoped, but it ended as well as Liverpool could manage. And better than we'd any right to expect. Liverpool did what Liverpool needed to do, again. We saw Liverpool win, again. And hopefully not for the last time this season.
Because there are still some important matters to come.
2 comments :
Goals after the 75th minute is insane. Thanks for all you do, Nate.
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