Paul Joyce points out a startling statistic about Liverpool that ranks as the joint-worst in the Premier League.
Paul Joyce has drawn attention to a worrying statistic that shows Liverpool have been among the Premier League’s poorest performers in one key area this season.
Arne Slot’s side have boosted their hopes of securing a Champions League spot with gritty away victories over Sunderland and Nottingham Forest in recent weeks. Even Gary Lineker has tipped the Reds to return to Europe’s elite competition next season.
With three upcoming league fixtures against teams currently sitting in the bottom five, there’s a clear opportunity for the champions to take advantage before a tougher run of matches arrives in April and May.
Joyce highlights alarming Liverpool goal statistic
Writing in The Times, Joyce analysed Liverpool’s first 20 games of the campaign (up to the 4-1 defeat to PSV Eindhoven in November) and compared them with the following 20 matches. His findings around goalscoring were striking.
Liverpool have scored just five league goals before the 40th minute all season — only one of those coming after the September win over Everton. At Anfield, that lack of early attacking spark has done little to energise the home support.
In fact, that tally is the joint-lowest in the Premier League, alongside bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers. For comparison, Liverpool had scored 24 goals in the same timeframe across their first 27 league games last season.
Joyce noted that solving these sluggish starts has become increasingly urgent, especially given Slot’s repeated comments about fixture congestion impacting new signings and contributing to costly late concessions.
Few early goals – and too many conceded
Remarkably, after netting four times before the 40-minute mark in their opening five league matches, Liverpool have managed it just once in the following 22 fixtures.
Ironically, that lone early strike was their fastest of the season — Hugo Ekitike scoring after just 47 seconds at home to Brighton & Hove Albion in December.
The issue hasn’t only been about slow attacking starts. Since the September derby against Everton, Slot’s men have conceded 10 first-half league goals before the 40-minute mark, including in each of their four matches immediately after that clash.
While results ultimately hinge on the final whistle — and Liverpool’s recent league victories have been built on stronger second-half displays — their shortage of early goals remains a curious and concerning trend.
It’s a statistical anomaly the Reds will hope to correct in the closing months of the season as they push to secure a return to Champions League football.
