Liverpool's Anfield curse: why tight defences are breaking them this season

Liverpool couldn't buy a goal at home against Arsenal on Sunday. Not even close. They failed to get a single shot on target — the first time that's happened at Anfield in a Premier League match since records started tracking it back in 2003-04. That's two decades of football, and the Reds had never blanked like this on their own turf.

Yeah, they hit the woodwork. Twice if you count the Emirates fixture earlier this year, where they also drew 0-0. But posts don't count, and neither does bad luck. The thing that should worry Andoni Iraola is the gulf between effort and output. His team touched the ball 52 times inside Arsenal's penalty box. Fifty-two. And they created exactly one proper chance to score. One.

For context, the Premier League average this season is ruthless: teams need about 10 box touches to generate a genuine big chance. Liverpool managed 52 touches and produced five times worse than average. That's not a fluke. That's a pattern.

Tight defences are becoming Liverpool's kryptonite. Arsenal sat deep, stayed compact, and didn't give Iraola's side anything to work with. It's a tactic that's becoming increasingly common — and increasingly effective against teams that thrive on space and movement. When you pack the box like that, you strangle the creativity. You force rushed passes. You invite mistakes.

The margins in football can be brutal. If Mac Allister's long ball from 40 yards had somehow registered as a shot instead of just drifting into Raya's hands, maybe the narrative looks slightly different. Maybe. But Iraola knows that's not his real problem. His real problem is figuring out how to break down sides that won't give him room to operate.

Liverpool's next few weeks will tell us everything. Can they adjust? Can they find a way to unpick these low blocks, or will they keep running into the same wall? Arsenal showed everyone the blueprint on Sunday. Others will be taking notes.