Dr Barts: “Liverpool’s passing network was a mess, but somehow still won” | OneFootball

Liverpool’s Paris Heist: Champions League Night For The Ages

Liverpool’s 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the Champions League will go down as one of the most unexpected yet glorious results in recent club history. In the latest Stat Me Up! podcast on Anfield Index, Dave Davis and Dr Phil Barter dissected the numbers behind the Reds’ remarkable win at the Parc des Princes. The statistical breakdown paints a picture of pure survival, with Liverpool defying the odds through sheer resilience, defensive heroics, and a world-class performance from Alisson Becker.

Tactical Nightmare But Historic Result

From the outset, Liverpool were under siege. Dr Phil Barter was quick to highlight how much PSG dominated possession and territory, remarking, “35% possession for Liverpool in a top-level game… field tilt of 80-20 is insane.” Liverpool’s usual approach of controlling play and pressing high was nowhere to be seen. Instead, they were pinned back, defending wave after wave of PSG attacks.

Barter added context to just how relentless PSG’s pressure was, explaining, “51 penalty box touches conceded… that’s a penalty box touch every other minute.” To put that into perspective, Liverpool typically allow fewer than 10 shots per game, yet PSG fired 27 shots at goal, with nine on target.

Despite this, Liverpool somehow weathered the storm. Their defensive shape may not have resembled anything close to the structured systems fans are used to, but it was effective in frustrating PSG’s star-studded attack.

Alisson Becker: The Holy Goalie

The biggest reason Liverpool emerged victorious was the outstanding goalkeeping display from Alisson Becker. Dave Davis summed it up best when he said, “We’ll get to the bit where we proclaim Alisson a human demigod.”

Barter provided the cold, hard stats to back up the sentiment: “Nine shots on target faced, post-shot xG (expected goals after a shot is taken) of 2.25… this is an all-time performance, on par or better than Courtois’ against Real Madrid in the Paris final.”

One save that stood out in particular was Alisson’s reflex stop from close range, where he denied a 40% chance of scoring. “That’s 40% of the time a player scores from that position – and he saves it,” Barter emphasised.

It wasn’t just the quality of the saves, but the volume of work he had to do. PSG took 27 shots while enjoying 51% possession, meaning Alisson was being called into action roughly once per minute. His concentration, positioning, and reactions were second to none.

Liverpool’s Attack: A Lone Spark of Magic

While Liverpool’s defensive performance will be remembered for its grit, the winning goal came from an unlikely source—Harvey Elliott. The young midfielder found himself in the right place at the right time to pounce on a rebound, squeezing the ball past Gianluigi Donnarumma.

However, Barter didn’t hold back in assessing the PSG goalkeeper’s role in the goal: “If you get a hand to it, you probably should save it… Alisson would have saved that shot, no doubt in my mind.”

Despite the heroics, Liverpool’s attacking numbers were dismal. Mohamed Salah failed to register a single shot in the match—an almost unheard-of statistic in the Champions League. “Mo didn’t have a shot all game. That tells you everything you need to know,” Barter noted.

Photo: IMAGO

Survival Mode and Looking Ahead

Liverpool will take a narrow lead into the second leg, but it’s clear they need a much-improved performance at Anfield. While this win showcased the defensive resilience of Arne Slot’s side, relying on Alisson to single-handedly carry them through every game is unsustainable.

Davis summed up the bizarre nature of the match perfectly: “Long story short, all the metrics sucked, but the ultimate one is that Harvey Elliott took it away and somehow, mainly thanks to Alisson Becker, the Reds take a 1-0 lead into the second leg.”

Liverpool may not have played their usual expansive, attacking football, but when it comes to the Champions League, sometimes you just need to find a way to win. And on a night where PSG dominated everything but the scoreline, the Reds did just that.