The remarkable statistics from Liverpool’s dominant 4-1 win over Cardiff

 

Cardiff manager Neil Warnock sensationally conceded defeat to Liverpool before a ball had even been kicked. In his pre-match news conference on Friday, Warnock admitted it would be ‘virtually impossible’ for his side to get a positive result at Anfield.

 

He was correct and Liverpool’s dominant 4-1 win is not a good advert for the Premier League. Jurgen Klopp’s side had 19 shots to Cardiff’s two and the Liverpool boss will be raging that the Callum Paterson managed to score with Cardiff's only shot on target. It’s the first Premier League goal Liverpool have conceded at Anfield this season.

 

Liverpool remarkably had 80% possession, with Georgina Wijnaldum completing more passes (111) than Cardiff as a team (110). Since the 2009/10 Premier League campaign, when WhoScored.com started receiving Opta data, this game marked only the 26th occasion a team have amassed more than 1000 touches in a single match.

 

Mohamed Salah played a direct hand in three of the four goals Liverpool scored. The Egypt international has now scored or assisted 50 goals since the start of last season, at least 12 more than any other player in that period. Meanwhile, Sadio Mane continued his impressive start to the season with a brace, becoming only the seventh African player to score 50 career goals in the Premier League.

 

 

Xherdan Shaqiri can consider himself unlucky not to have started against Cardiff after earning rave reviews from Klopp for his midweek performance in the Champions League. Nevertheless, the Switzerland international came off the bench to score his first Liverpool goal since joining over the summer. Shaqiri has now scored or assisted in four games running for club and country and five of his last six.

 

Cardiff had no interest in winning, but merely defending for their lives. Warnock’s side set a seasonal record low for the number of touches in an opponents penalty box, managing just two against Liverpool. In fact, not since Swansea drew 0-0 with Huddersfield in March has a team managed fewer (1). 

 

Ironically enough, the first time Cardiff touched the ball in Liverpool’s penalty area they scored. That, however, wasn’t until the 76th-minute. If only the Bluebirds showed greater ambition from the outset then they might have made a game of it.

 

Some will argue that Cardiff would have been torn apart had they showed greater attacking endeavour, but defending deep produced a 4-1 defeat, even if for 10 minutes there was a one-goal margin. Only Josh Murphy and Paterson's average touch map concluded in Liverpool's half of Cardiff players.

 

As for Liverpool, another win means they have equalled their best ever start to a Premier League season after 10 matches (26 points). They are now three points ahead of Manchester City, who have a tricky Monday night fixture away to Tottenham to contend with.

The remarkable statistics from Liverpool’s dominant 4-1 win over Cardiff