How Liverpool’s home record came tumbling down

All fans of football statistics will know that Liverpool were enjoying a phenomenal unbeaten league run at Anfield over the past few seasons. Until a couple of weeks ago, the Reds were on an incredible 68-game unbeaten home run. This remarkable feat meant that Liverpool had gone almost four years without a home defeat in the league. 

The previous time that Liverpool had lost at Anfield was when Crystal Palace beat Liverpool 2-1 on 23 April 2017. This saw the former Liverpool star Christian Benteke claiming the winner. 

All of which meant that hopes had been high that Liverpool would be able to beat the previous record for unbeaten games in the Premier League. This was held by Chelsea who managed to last 86 league games without being defeated at Stamford Bridge. 

However, on 21 January Liverpool lost their unbeaten record when they were narrowly beaten by 1-0 Burnley. What’s remarkable is the fact that Jurgen Klopp’s team has gone on to lose their next-two league games at Anfield. Few people will have seen the 1-0 by Brighton coming, and the 1-4 thrashing by Manchester City has left Liverpool’s hopes of reclaiming the Premier League title in tatters. 

The fact that Liverpool lost three home games in a row won’t just worry Klopp, but it also means that it’s the team’s worst set of Anfield performances since 1963. With no wins in the past five matches, it’s caused plenty of people to be concerned about what’s gone wrong at Liverpool.

Such a drop in form is remarkable as Liverpool were absolutely stunning in the Premier League last year. For much of the season, it looked like nobody would be able to beat the Reds. It was a fact reflected at many sports betting sites who had given Liverpool such short odds that gamblers were probably tempted to seek an up-to-date casino bonus comparison for Canadian players rather than waste their money trying to back another team to beat Jurgen Klopp’s side.

But ever since Liverpool lost 3-0 away to Watford in late February 2020, there have been those who’ve insisted that Klopp’s team has failed to match its previous intensity. It’s something that’s definitely backed up in the statistics. A quick look at last season’s Premier League table since Liverpool lost their unbeaten record shows that Klopp’s team aren’t the side that they once were. 

However, most Liverpool fans will agree that the loss of influential defender Virgil Van Dijk to injury is the biggest reason why the team are now languishing ten points behind Manchester City in the league table. The horrendous injury suffered in Liverpool’s October game against Everton meant that Klopp’s side would be involved in an uphill struggle for the remainder of the season.

But things got so much worse when star defender Joe Gomez was also lost to injury. When a thigh issue caused Joel Matip to be ruled out for the remainder of the Premier League campaign, it meant that Liverpool had no option but to bring in new players to fill the holes in central defence. However, Klopp still seems to be unwilling to let the new talent get a first team place just yet. 

Much of Liverpool’s season has been spent trying to fill the holes in central defence. Regular midfielders like Jordan Henderson have been drafted in to fill the void and it’s clear that the team has had to make some big adjustments.

These changes have had a dramatic effect in the team as a whole. Trent Alexander-Arnold has looked like a shadow of his previous self. The youngster was renowned for his attacking ability, but he has been pushed back into more of a defensive role. Sadly Alexander-Arnold’s defensive frailties were left mercifully exposed by the likes of Raheem Sterling in Manchester City’s recent commanding victory.

All of this has meant that Liverpool’s attack has been much less potent. January was a particularly barren month for the attacking trio of Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane. While there is no doubting the exceptional goalscoring ability of the trio, it has become evident that they just aren’t getting the service from midfield like they were before.

The lack of goals is having a clear effect on the overall morale at Liverpool. When the star goalkeeper Alisson makes two shocking errors to gift Manchester City a victory, it seems that Liverpool face a long road back to recovery.

How Liverpool’s home record came tumbling down