The match between LASK and Liverpool in the Europa League ended with a margin that does not fully reflect what happened on the pitch. The visitors had the initiative, but the Austrians created enough chances to make the favorites nervous. Let's break down the numbers.
Liverpool registered 26 shots against LASK's 12, with 9 on target against 4. The visitors shot more often from inside the box - 20 attempts against 10, which speaks to systematic penetration into the danger zone. Expected goals are telling: 3.34 xG for Liverpool against 2.02 for LASK. At the same time, the visitors' finishing left something to be desired - 12 shots off target and 5 blocked. LASK, meanwhile, with a modest 12 shots in total, accumulated a solid xG thanks to the quality of their chances: 4 big chances created against 5 for the English side.
Possession - 64% to 36% in Liverpool's favor. The visitors completed 576 passes against 310, with 321 of them in the opponent's half. Key passes - 20 against 11, passes into the final third - 129 against 70. This explains why Liverpool so often found themselves at LASK's goal. However, the Austrians did not sit back in a deep block: 169 passes in the opposition half and 70 entries into the final third are a sign that the team was looking for answers.
Set pieces were a story of their own. Liverpool took 11 corners against LASK's 3, delivered 19 crosses (7 successful) against 17 (3 successful). The visitors also went into dribbling more often - 26 attempts, 16 successful, while LASK had 6 and 4 respectively. In defense, the Austrians compensated for the gap in class through commitment: 30 clearances against 21, 10 successful tackles out of 17 against 5 out of 5 for Liverpool. The visitors intercepted more often - 12 against 6, which is down to their high pressing line.
The tactical conclusion is obvious: Liverpool won through the volume of attacking actions and pressure in the opposition half, but squandered chances, allowing LASK to stay in the game. The Austrians played vertically and were dangerous from set pieces, but 59 inaccurate passes and only 33% shot accuracy prevented them from converting 2.02 xG into more goals. The lineups LASK Linz - Liverpool and the key players of both teams shaped the pattern: the visitors' bench depth and their positional pressing tactics outweighed the hosts' compactness and commitment.
