Liverpool Failed to Register a Single Shot on Target Against Arsenal, First Time Since 2003-04

Zero. That's the number that stings most from the 1-0 that Arsenal took home from Anfield. Liverpool didn't lose to a moment of brilliance or a single costly mistake: they failed to register a single shot on target in their own stadium, something that hadn't happened since records for this statistic began, back in the 2003-04 season. David Raya, the Gunners' goalkeeper, had such a quiet afternoon that he barely had to make a save.

Mikel Arteta didn't hide his astonishment after the match. His side ended a winless run of more than 14 years at that stadium, but what struck him most was precisely that: the attacking impotence of an opponent who, in his own words, "shoots a lot."

I didn't know that stat, but it's incredible. Honestly it didn't feel that way out there, because there were very fine margins when they had chances to shoot, and this is a team that shoots a lot. You have to be really good at blocking shots and cutting off those spaces. It takes a commitment from every player in every action, consistently, to produce numbers like that, and doing it against this team is something to admire.Mikel Arteta

But Arteta's point doesn't tell the whole story. Liverpool did create chances: they had 28 touches in the opposition box in the first half alone, the highest figure recorded by any team against Arsenal in a first half since 2008-09. There was even a possible unawarded penalty for a shirt pull by Jurrien Timber on Alexander Isak, a Florian Wirtz free kick that crashed off the crossbar, and a header from Alexis Mac Allister that sailed over when he had a better option. The problem wasn't a lack of chances, it was a lack of accuracy.

A 500 Million Pound Forward Line That's Gone Missing

Before the match, the narrative pointed to a battle between attack and defense. Arsenal arrived without Bukayo Saka and with fitness doubts over Noni Madueke and Christos Tzolis, while Isak had scored in three straight games for the first time in over 18 months, Bradley Barcola had five direct goal contributions in four matches, and Wirtz was starting to show flashes in the number 10 role. Between Isak, Barcola and Wirtz, Liverpool spent 354 million pounds (462 million dollars) across three transfer windows. Add Cody Gakpo, signed in 2023 for 37 million pounds (49 million dollars), and the starting attacking quartet's combined price tag tops 500 million dollars.

Against Arsenal, none of them showed up. Wirtz finished the match with an expected assists value of just 0.06 and was substituted again when his team needed a goal. Isak touched the ball just 26 times and completed 12 of 16 passes. Barcola, who had looked threatening in the first half, faded as the game went on.

The broader numbers don't offer much cover either: Liverpool has scored just four goals at Anfield in the Premier League this season, its worst return through five home matches shared with two other seasons in the club's entire top-flight history (the other instances came in 1913-14 and 2012-13). In three of those five matches, against Fulham, Manchester City and now Arsenal, the team failed to score at all.

Across the Premier League as a whole, Liverpool has scored 11 goals in nine matches, two fewer than newly promoted Ipswich Town and only one more than Michael Carrick's Manchester United. In big chances created, Iraola's side sits 19th in the table with seven, far behind Manchester City's 32. And the worrying part is that the trend is heading the wrong way: through the same number of matches last season, Liverpool had created 24 big chances, the second best mark in the league. Completed passes inside the opposition box have also dropped, from 115 to 90, and carries into the final third ending in the box have fallen from 167 to 137.

A Different Team in the Champions League

The paradox is that this same attack has scored 12 goals in three Champions League matches. Iraola was asked about the gap and admitted he didn't have a clear answer.

I don't really know the reason. It's true the match against LASK was different, but against Villarreal and Atletico Madrid I think we were very good offensively. In the Premier League we're not scoring at that level, and we're probably also defending better. These are different matches against different opponents; I think it's more about who you've played than the competition itself.Andoni Iraola

Barcola was more direct in an interview with a French outlet, admitting that the Premier League is "less technical" than Ligue 1 but a massive physical step up. It doesn't seem like a coincidence that both he and Wirtz perform better when they don't have to deal with the physical demands of English football.

It also doesn't help that Iraola is still searching for balance in midfield. Against Arsenal he gave a league start to 19-year-old Trey Nyoni, who responded with 53 completed passes and 14 line-breaking passes, the best figures of any player on the pitch in his 59 minutes. The full-back spots remain a work in progress too: Milos Kerkez brings effort but not always quality on the ball, while Ronald Araujo, on loan from Barcelona, has shored up the defense even though he's naturally more effective at the back than going forward.

Liverpool scored just 63 goals in the entire Premier League last season under Arne Slot, its lowest tally since 2015-16, and under Iraola there's still no significant improvement on that front. The 44-year-old manager is counting on the return of Hugo Ekitike, who is recovering from an Achilles injury, to give him more attacking options in the coming months.

Midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai summed up the team's current state with honesty after the match.

Some days we feel like we're at the top, and other days we feel like we're not even close. I think it takes time to get to the top.Dominik Szoboszlai

With just 14 matches in charge, Iraola is still at the beginning of a process. How quickly Liverpool solves its scoring problems will depend on whether this forward line, as expensive as it is promising, finally starts showing in the Premier League what it's already hinted at in Europe.