Taking the game as a whole, we out passed Arsenal. No mean feat. 200 forward passes to their 174. 205 accurate attacking half passes to their 152. We crossed the ball 8 times to their 1, of which 21.1% were accurate compared to Arsenal’s 12.5% accurate crossing. In midfield we regained possession 26 times to their 14. Liverpool forced 12 corners. Arsenal didn’t force 1. But as another footballing cliché says, stats don’t always tell the whole story. Yes we bossed the game in all but the vital area. Van Persie had 2 chances, 2 shots and 2 goals. His completion percentage is up there with the best, being equalled by Demba Ba, who seems to be suffering a slight post African Nations drought. Van Persie will surpass the Newcastle forward in pass completion in no time at this rate. Be interesting to see the next game when the 2 are head to head at The Emirates.
We watched Luis Suarez extolled by pundits and commentators alike as he evaded tackle after tackle only to prod the ball within grasp of the Arsenal keeper who tipped it round the post. He was probably the only player on the pitch that could’ve done that and we have seen it before and love it. When he did it in the 3-1 demolition of Manchester United almost a year ago to the day it was with elation LFC fans greeted the Uruguayan. But ironically also on that day, all his dexterity and skill still required a practical Dutchman to get it over the line. With a shot conversion rate of just 6.7% Suarez has to improve. All the close control skills in the world are no use unless it helps secure the points.
Shot conversion rate
[table id=45 /]
More: Graphical analysis next…
