Liverpool produced their most wasteful Premier League performance on record in Sunday's 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Anfield.
Just days after losing 3-0 to Atalanta BC in the Europa League, the Reds fell to another home defeat after failing to make the most of their chances.
Palace opened the scoring through Eberechi Eze in the 14th minute to leave Jurgen Klopp's side with a deficit to overturn.
Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones and Mohamed Salah all spurned chances to find the net, ensuring that Palace could celebrate their first head-to-head victory since 2017.
As a result of the narrow loss, Liverpool are now sitting in third place and two points adrift of leaders Manchester City with six matches left to play.
Wasteful Liverpool
After losing a Premier League home game for the first time since October 2022, Liverpool will reflect upon an afternoon where they showcased a lack of cutting-edge in front of goal.
Liverpool ended the match with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.87, representing their highest xG in a Premier League game in which they did not score since the statistic started being recorded in 2010-11.
The figure was also the highest xG total a team had recorded without scoring in a Premier League match since Brighton & Hove Albion faced Norwich City in April 2022.
On that occasion, Brighton also recorded an xG total of 2.87 as they played out a goalless draw in their home meeting with the Canaries.
Defensive concerns
While Liverpool's wastefulness may be making the headlines, they will also be concerned about their recent vulnerability at the opposite end of the pitch.
The Reds have conceded in each of their last nine competitive matches since recording a clean sheet in a 1-0 away win over Nottingham Forest.
They have also failed to record a shutout in any of their last nine home league games, equalling their joint-longest run in the Premier League.
Liverpool previously went nine home Premier League home games without a clean sheet in the 1996-97 season and the 1998-99 campaign.
The Reds know that they will have to produce a strong defensive display if they are to have any chance of overturning a three-goal deficit in Thursday's Europa League quarter-final second leg against Atalanta in Bergamo. body check tags ::
