Mikel Arteta described it as “remarkable” after Arsenal beat Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield, where the hosts failed to register a shot on target in a Premier League home game for the first time on record since the 2003-04 season.
Despite a lack of shots on target, Liverpool still posed problems for the champions. The Reds had 28 touches in Arsenal’s penalty area in the first half — the most on record since 2008-09 by any team in the opening period of a Premier League game against Arsenal — and could have had a penalty for Jurriën Timber’s shirt pull on Alexander Isak. Florian Wirtz struck the crossbar from a free kick and Alexis Mac Allister headed over, but the visitors limited clear chances, the report said.
Liverpool have scored just four Premier League goals at Anfield this season, their joint-fewest after five home matches in a top-flight campaign (also four in 1913-14 and 2012-13). In three of their five home league games this term — against Fulham, Manchester City and Arsenal — the Reds failed to score, underscoring the inconsistency in their attack.
The club’s recent attacking recruits had shown signs of form before the defeat. Isak had six goals in his last seven league appearances and had scored in three consecutive games for the first time in more than 18 months. Bradley Barcola had five goal contributions in four games, and Wirtz had been looking promising in the No. 10 role. None of the three produced a decisive moment against Arsenal; Wirtz was substituted and finished the match with an expected assists value of just 0.06, while Barcola’s influence waned, according to the report.
Liverpool spent a combined £354 million ($462 million) to sign Isak, Barcola and Wirtz over the past three transfer windows, and with Cody Gakpo’s £37 million ($49 million) fee in 2023 the club’s first-choice attacking quartet cost more than $500 million. The report posed a central question for manager Andoni Iraola: how to restore fluidity and goals to a high-cost forward line that has yet to click consistently.
