Liverpool climbed to fourth in the Premier League with a 3-1 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday, but the result masked a worrying statistic about the team's creativity in the final third.
The victory was Andoni Iraola's 10th league game in charge and continued a marked improvement in character from last season, when away trips to Bournemouth, Brentford and Palace yielded no points. This term, Iraola has won all three.
Alisson and Wirtz star at Selhurst Park
Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring in the 40th minute, heading in a Dominik Szoboszlai free-kick at the near post, a route that was no surprise given Palace's struggles defending set-pieces.
Alisson Becker was in inspired form, saving a volley from Daichi Kamada and then denying Adam Wharton's glanced header. In the second half, he threw himself at the feet of Yeremy Pino to keep the hosts out. He could do little about Eddie Nketiah's stoppage-time penalty, awarded after a clash of heads between Milos Kerkez and Dario Osario.
Iraola spoke on Friday of his hope of keeping the Brazil international, who is now inside the final year of his deal. The travelling support made their appreciation clear at the final whistle.
Liverpool's second goal came from a well-constructed move, as Ronald Araujo and Bradley Barcola combined, allowing Barcola to get down the right side and cross for Florian Wirtz, whose controlled finish made it 2-0. It was a significant moment for the £123m summer signing, who had earlier summed up a difficult afternoon with a side-footed volley from the edge of the six-yard box that ended up in Row Z.
Creativity concerns persist
Iraola also spoke on Friday about the need to improve in the final third as a collective. It is a sobering statistic that Liverpool sit in the relegation zone of the Premier League table for big chances created this season, with 14 goals from Opta-defined 12 big chances.
That efficiency is backed up by Alexander Isak, the eight-goal top scorer, who remains quiet before it is time to pounce. But creativity issues have persisted across the 10-game sample size, and considering the amount spent on the attack in the past two summer transfer windows, being in the bottom three for big chances created is a statistic that cannot continue much longer.
Liverpool's third goal hinted at what is possible when it all clicks, as Isak, Wirtz and substitute Victor Munoz combined before the No.9 dispatched late on. The Reds moved through the gears impressively, and such razor-sharp moves need to be seen more regularly after the international break.
Nketiah's 95th-minute strike at this venue last season was the catalyst for a run of nine defeats in 12 for Liverpool. This time it meant very little, further evidence that things are going in the right direction under Iraola.
