Liverpool produced a suffocating display in their 4-2 win over Newcastle, but in breaking an all-time xG record, they clearly should have scored more.
The Reds kicked off the New Year in emphatic fashion as they came out of the gates fast and took the fight to Newcastle, roared on by Anfield.
But somehow, the half-time whistle blew with both sides equal at 0-0, with all six goals coming in the second half.
Liverpool were deserved winners, regardless of Eddie Howe’s assessment, with Mohamed Salah scoring twice and both Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo netting.
However, they ended the game with a record-breaking expected goals (xG) tally of 7.27 – the most in a Premier League game since records began in 2010/11.
On xG alone, the final scoreline should have been 7.27-0.59, or to the nearest whole number, 7-1.
Jurgen Klopp‘s side fired 34 shots on goal, with their 18 in the first half alone the most by any side in the current Premier League campaign.
Beyond Salah’s first-half penalty, which had an xG of 0.79, three of the biggest wasted chances fell, unsurprisingly, to Darwin Nunez.
Nunez saw an early effort with an xG of 0.52 denied by Martin Dubravka, before fluffing another on the counter with an xG of 0.49 before half-time.
After the break, Dubravka pulled off a stunning save to deny the Uruguayan again with a chance worth 0.43 xG.
Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s glaring miss on the rebound from Salah’s saved penalty came with an xG rating of 0.46.
In the world of xG, those four chances and the first penalty were worth almost three clear goals, with a combined xG of 2.69.
Liverpool’s 34 shots on goal against Newcastle was their joint-highest for the season so far, equalling their tally from the 0-0 draw with Man United.
In their last five games, the Reds have recorded 129 shots on goal for an average of 25.8 per game, which is significantly higher than their average of 16.1 across the previous 24 games.
Per FBref, prior to Monday’s victory, Liverpool’s highest xG tally for the season was 3.3 in the 4-0 win over LASK, with their biggest underperformance being zero goals from 2.3 xG against Man United.
That record was, of course, broken against Newcastle, with the Reds coming away with a valuable win but somehow underperforming by 3.27 xG.
