For just the second time this season, following the 3-0 win over Aston Villa in matchweek four at the start of September, Liverpool kept a Premier League clean sheet, this time against Everton. There is, of course, something of an asterisk in that the Reds faced 10 men — after Ashley Young received a red card shortly before half-time, the Toffees' threat was nearly non-existent.
Alisson caught a moderately threatening Dominic Calvert-Lewin header in the opening exchanges, but that was the only shot on target he faced all afternoon. Everton wasn't able to test him with any of its five efforts after that, and walked off the pitch having mustered just 0.13 expected goals.
It's now been four games since the Blues so much as scored against their local rivals, the longest run since a four-year stretch between 1972 and 1976. Back then, they failed to find the net in as many nine straight meetings, with Ray Clemence keeping them out of the Liverpool goal.
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More impressively, Alisson has actually kept more clean sheets than any other goalkeeper in the Premier League this year with 12 — 10 in the latter part of 2022/23 and two at the start of 2023/24. Given that the Reds endured their worst defensive season under Klopp last year and pundits have asked questions about their solidity this term, it's a stat that may raise eyebrows.
This should be regarded as a team achievement, as much as Alisson has affirmed his status as the world's best 'keeper over the last year or so with a string of heroic interventions (Liverpool probably wouldn't have got European football at all last year without him). The reality is that the games where he 'keeps' clean sheets are often those where he has little to do because he's properly protected by the defensive unit, one that starts with Liverpool's high press and ends with the back four. Saturday's 2-0 win over Everton is a clear, if slightly extreme, example of that.
For Liverpool, the focus now should be on shutting out the opposition more often than it has in the early weeks of 23/24. Granted, clean sheets are harder to come by following the Premier League's clampdown on timewasting, which has prolonged games. The Analyst found during the recent international break that matches had become nearly three minutes longer than last season as a result of the new directives, and the ball is in play for nearly four minutes longer.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola voiced his opposition to the changes (via BBC Sport), complaining that rule-makers 'never consult our opinions' and pointing out that players are already playing 'a lot of games'. As well as increasing the physical demands on his squad, it's giving his back four more work to do.
Clean sheets aren't the be-all-and-end-all but they're regarded as part of the bedrock of a title bid for a reason, highlighting a team's solid foundation. It's a cliché but it's a cliché for a reason — needing two goals to win every game isn't a sustainable habit. Indeed, the Reds have dropped points on both occasions where they've only scored one this season.
Liverpool has faced one of the most difficult fixture lists of any side in the league so far — it has played six of the top 10, four of them away from home, and that's part of the reason for its underwhelming tally. But with a more favorable run to come against Nottingham Forest (home), newly-promoted Luton (away) and Brentford (home) — all of whom rank between 14th and 17th — Jürgen Klopp's side should soon aim to be challenging Arsenal, Newcastle United, Crystal Palace and Tottenham (all tied on four as it stands) at the top of the leaderboard.