Has any team’s defense been as sharp as Liverpool’s? Trent Alexander-Arnold remains a lightning rod for much criticism, but every goal conceded seems to spark heated debate about individual mistakes, team structure and other details.
You might not think so from the report, but Manchester United have conceded the fewest goals in the Premier League this season. The total of 18 games is 10 less than last season and Liverpool have only improved after taking 21 games from six of their previous 31 games.
Any kind of progress or regression is best seen against a previous background, so it’s best to compare with 2022/2023. According to FBRef, the Reds allowed 1.34 expected goals per 90 minutes in the league last season, but have improved to 1.14 this season (1.03, both teams having 11 players). One concern, however, is that Liverpool secured a place in the 2024 Carabao Cup final with a 1-1 draw against Fulham.
Opta reported that the home side’s equalizer was marked open. However, the ensuing sequence began with a Tom Cairney free-kick that neither Ryan Gravenbirch nor Virgil van Dijk could stop. The next time Fulham came close was when Andreas Pereira hit the bar again from an acute angle. Liverpool haven’t had too much trouble defending this season.
They have conceded five goals in the league, the sixth-fewest in the division, and two in cup competitions. According to analysts Opta, 25% of the Reds’ expected goals conceded in the Premier League have come from free-kicks, the highest percentage in the division.
He also makes up the biggest slice of Liverpool’s defensive pie in 2018/19 (according to Understat), a campaign worth emulating. This indirectly shows that Manchester United’s defense in open play has improved from last season.
Of course, you can tell this from an eye test, but it’s better to back it up with cold, hard data. But that doesn’t mean Liverpool shouldn’t or can’t expect to improve when conceding free-kicks or corners to opponents.
The Reds have conceded 3.1 shots on target per league game so far, their highest figure since 2014/15, last season before Jurgen Klopp took charge of the club. In these cases there is also the question of the value of the goals they allow.
Six of the seven were openers or equalisers, with only Sven Botman’s goal against Newcastle at Anfield of little consequence (and also halving the Reds’ lead in the last 10 minutes).
